


To Duel With Fate

by Mihkail



Series: To Duel With Fate [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Dubious Consent, F/M, Gen, Gore, Language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-25
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-01-16 22:46:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 14
Words: 108,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1364551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mihkail/pseuds/Mihkail
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to An Unlikely Seduction. After months of avoidance, fate has thrown Itachi back in Sakura's face when a failed mission nearly claims his life. Her greatest challenges lie ahead, while trying to navigate a maelstrom of conflicting emotions and maintain the string of lies, secrets, and deceit she's managed to tangle herself and those close to her in...particularly Sasuke. Bonds are broken and redefined, and new trials will be faced.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mourning Fireflies

He couldn't remember the last time it was this difficult to breathe. Every inhale took a little more effort than the last, and with less payoff. The blood rising in his throat was a metallic trickle at first, nothing he wasn't used to. But with the ever increasing pain and shortness of breath, he found it accumulating until he had to stifle a cough. He couldn't cough. He couldn't make a sound. With the shouts, crashes, and booms all around him, it probably didn't matter, but he wouldn't risk it. He couldn't attract attention to himself.

The shattered ribs cut into his lungs as he covered his mouth with an aching hand, smudged with dirt and blood—both fresh and dried. Dark rivulets seeped through his fingers as his body shook. It took every ounce of his control to stay silent, and his good eye closed as the sharp bursts of hidden razors danced through his chest, beneath the flak jacket. A chunk of white porcelain with a streak of red lay on the forest floor below the thick branch he was slouched on, with his back against the trunk. A little more than half of the mask was left on his face, showing like a beacon in the dark forest, with the soft flicker of moonlight peaking through the leaves above. As useless as it was now, revealing one swollen, shut eye and the side of his bloody face caked with strands of tangled black hair, he didn't bother to discard it.

This was the first time his ANBU mask had been broken. Also the first time he found himself unable to rise to his feet, even with the defeating sounds of death and destruction all around him, creeping in closer by the second. But he wasn't alone in the chaos. There had been four of them, originally. He had already watched one of his teammates disappear in a flash of blue light. It always looked like flames, to him. Beautiful, glimmering flames that ignited silently in the darkness and withered swiftly back into oblivion, stealing away any trace of body and soul with it's dying light.

He'd seen it happen a couple times before. It was the ultimate, and expected sacrifice of every ANBU, should they be in danger of capture. A quick and anticlimactic death, to protect any information from leaking to enemy hands. A lonely suicide. Sometimes there wasn't even the chance to think...to reflect... One moment you were there, and the next, nothing. No body to be buried. No goodbyes to deliver. You simply ceased to exist.

The thought had never crossed his mind, until now. Death was everywhere. He'd taken enough lives, and seen so many others fallen, that he'd developed a healthy—or unhealthy?—immunity to its affect. Enough that he rarely even thought about his own, inevitable end. With the way he saw it, there was no time to think about death. Everyone was hurdling towards their own grave, some faster than others, and there was no sense worrying over when that time would come. It wouldn't change anything he did, or anything he believed in. His sole purpose was to serve as a tool for Konoha, and to protect his family and friends, just like every other member of ANBU...and every other shinobi in his village, for that matter.

It's always different once you can hear the footsteps of Death's approach, however.. No one truly knows if they're prepared to leave this world, until they can see, smell, taste their own demise creeping into them... It happened so fast, little to no transition. But didn't it always? He could taste his now. The blood in his throat was close to choking him. Unlike some of the others, he had been given a little time to think...to reflect...and with the opportunity, he also felt every step of Death wandering closer and closer, keeping in time with the labored beat of his overworked heart. His back was ruined, too. He could still feel his legs, so he wasn't paralyzed, but the agony that pulsed through him, blinding all of his senses and locking him immobile every time he tried to move, sealed his fate.

The aching tension in his fatigued muscles was gradually ebbing away as he grew tired and weaker. Slowly giving in as he heard the shouted orders of the enemy drawing close to him. They didn't know where he was. Not yet...but they would soon. With his chakra a mere flickering flame, struggling for life, he was not capable of much more.

To be honest, he wasn't surprised that this was how his life would end. Few shinobi lived long enough to show the wrinkles of age, as most died in battle. He was a little shocked at just how soon, how abruptly it was going to end, though.

A flash of blue caught his attention suddenly, and he glanced to the side just in time to see his second teammate consumed in a fiery cocoon of chakra. The waning light illuminated the darkness, casting a haunting glow on the leaves and trees around him as he quickly, and quite literally, disappeared into thin air.

They were finished. All of them. The mission had gone terribly wrong. They had known from the start it was going to be a difficult one, even for a group as talented as theirs...but they had failed. Yet, failing their Hokage wasn't what bothered him now, as the reality hit home.

Itachi smiled faintly, and his half-lidded eye shifted down to his lap. His hand slid up his flak jacket, and raided a small pocket to pull out a piece of flimsy cloth. He folded the dark blue fabric the way it was meant to be, shaping it into a long, rectangular bandana. Tying it a bit clumsily around his wrist, his smiled faded into nothing as he stared down at the Uchiha crest facing up at him. It was a little awkward and misshapen, having been drawn on by hand with red and white paint. The first thing Sasuke had ever given him, when he was barely old enough to throw a shuriken. He kept the bandana on him at all times because, for obvious reasons, he couldn't keep a picture. Anything that could identify his person was forbidden.

A quiet sigh puffed through his nose, which instantly sent his chest convulsing in a coughing fit that he was unable to suppress. Droplets of blood splattered on the branch in front of him and on his legs as he fought to control his lungs. Bringing his hand to his mouth again, he squinted his eye shut and grew still, willing his reluctant muscles to relax.

The shouts started again, much closer this time. If it had been daylight, he would have been able to see them through the trees now, and he knew his time had finally run out. He looked down at the bandana, the first sign of regret stirring in his gut. There was no alternative. Capture was never, under any circumstances, an option. But that didn't make surrendering to his less than grand finale any less painful.

"Forgive me, Sasuke..."

Whisper fading into the night, his hands lifted and aligned with his center, beginning the simple hand sign that would bring an end to the world he knew, and snuff him into darkness. There would be no tears, but the regret that had bubbled inside him exploded in a sudden wave of sorrow, causing him to cringe visibly as his brows furrowed and his head lowered.

A rustle from above caught his ears, followed by the soft snapping of twigs and a gust of wind. It was now or never. But a blinding pain racked through him suddenly, breaking his concentration as a shadow dropped down and crashed into him, jarring his injured spine back to life. A steel grip pulled his hands apart, disrupting the jutsu and stunning him with the white hot ripples that shredded his nerves throughout his torso. Teeth gritting, he seethed a gurgling breath from his lungs, just as a familiar voice reached out to him. A voice that struck him in awe.

"Itachi... Not today."

He opened his eye to gaze at the blurry visage of the twin Sharingan peering through an ANBU mask, crouching over him. The pain was worth it, once that weary, and slightly panicked voice graced his ears. The short black hair of his best friend, and trusted teammate, clung in sweat and blood-drenched ribbons to the cool porcelain. Before Itachi could find the right words, lost in a rush of shock and relief that swelled within him, Shisui turned his back and hunched over, drawing the body of his broken and battered friend over top of him by his arms.

Itachi knew better than to protest...but there was considerable reason for concern. There were only two of them now, and he could already tell that the man slinging his near dead weight onto himself like a turtle shell was not much better off than he was.

The wood beneath them creaked as his feet dug in, hips adjusting his stance and one hand gripping an arm that draped down his chest. With a pained grunt, Shisui sprang out of the tree and into the next, taking flight at a speed and an agility that he had managed to scrounge up from his deepest reservoirs. Carrying another human being was a difficult load over a long distance by itself, but with his energy depleted to dangerously low levels, the weight of Itachi might as well have been the weight of Konoha itself. Still...he bounded from one branch to the next, ignoring the searing heat that coursed through his legs.

For Itachi, every jolt and bump was sheer torture. Every ounce of strength he possessed fell to clinging onto his friend's back as the pain throbbed from seemingly everywhere at once, over and over again.

"They can't catch you." A weak whisper puffed past the other man's ear. It was a simple enough warning, but they both knew there was a heavier implication hiding in plain sight. He was going to weigh him down...literally...and then they would both be dead.

"They won't." His partner insisted tersely, and somehow found the muscle to move faster as voices bantered and called through the trees around them. He wasn't going to let him go so easily. So long as there was even a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, he would reach for it endlessly. He would never, ever, leave his best friend to die, so long as there was a breath left in his lungs.

There was no further argument as Itachi shook, crimson continuing to seep from his lips and bead into the shoulder below him, though he had stopped coughing. He found the sounds of their world fading away, overpowered by the agony he was forced to endure, with no hope of escaping. It only took a few more minutes of it to steal him into unconsciousness. His grip on Shisui disappeared entirely, nearly causing him to falter and plummet them both to the forest floor as his weight shifted and almost slipped right off.

Shisui hissed in frustration as he scrambled to maintain balance and snatch him into a better position, knowing there was nothing he could do but keep moving. Never stop, never slow down, and never look back. His entire focus was on fleeing back to Konoha and straight to the hospital, even if it meant instantly collapsing in the lobby from a heart attack once he arrived...which wouldn't surprise him at this point.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The clock ticked to 12:06 am. Soft murmurs and an occasional muffled, lighthearted laughter echoed sparsely through the clean, and remarkably empty halls. Though there were more vacant rooms than usual, nothing was out of the ordinary as the night staff roamed around especially quietly. Trying not to disturb the few sleeping patients as they made their rounds. That was, until the lobby doors burst open, earning a couple startled yelps as an ANBU shot in and literally crashed to the floor before the front desk, with another body strapped to his back.

The moment the bright lights of the hospital touched down on them, Shisui's legs gave out. His breathing filled the room with sickening sounds of deep, greedy rasps, as if no matter how far his lungs stretched, he couldn't get enough air. It was alarming enough, without gazing upon the blood and debris that littered them both, and the receptionist immediately flew from her chair and yelled down the hall for the nearest medic.

Senseless syllables moaned from deep within his throat, as if he forgot how to speak, and when he couldn't get the words out, he lurched toward the hallway. Feet tripping no sooner than they had risen, he fell once more to the floor in a pitiful heap, the limp weight of Itachi smashing into him as he sprawled out, defeated.

The hurried pattering of footsteps rumbled in their direction as every staff member within earshot that wasn't currently occupied with something important dashed in a near sprint past door after door. His eyes peaked up through his mask, watching them move in what seemed like slow motion. Everything became sluggish, as if time itself was dying, and leaving them to hover in an endless limbo. It could have been the adrenaline, or merely his exhausted state of mind, but all it did was heighten his panic. They were too far away. They were too slow. They would never reach them before it was too late.

And yet, a couple short seconds later, his vision was flooded with feet and legs shifting all around him, and the crushing weight soon rose off his back. Shisui sucked in air as if he'd finally risen from the darkest depths of the ocean, and burst through the surface. A complete weightlessness came with it, and he instantly felt as if he was floating upward and past the very ceiling, though the sight of the floor never left his blurring vision. In the distance, he could hear frantic voices calling around him, ordering for another stretcher to be wheeled over.

"He's not breathing!"

"I can't find a pulse!"

"We need another IV over here!"

The medics scrambled around him, and he faintly heard the heavy thump of Itachi's lifeless form falling onto a stretcher before it swished past him and back down the hall it had come from. Two of the voices trailed along with it, leaving Shisui to stare helplessly at the wheels carrying away the body that had grown too pale and too cold in the time it had taken him to race back to the village. He had traveled as fast as he could...he really had... Itachi had merely fallen unconscious at first, which hadn't surprised him. But he had sensed a change just before he reached the main gates. There had been no physical signs. Just a simple, yet powerful feeling, that something had gone dreadfully wrong. Now, his worst fear had been confirmed.

His world turned upside down as the remaining medic flipped him onto his back, and he stared up into the blinding lights of the lobby like a zombie. He was being questioned...but he could no longer understand the words that met his ears. There were hands on him, but he couldn't keep track of where they moved, or what their intent was. The assaulting lights above were growing dimmer, drifting slowly down a tunnel that he was spiraling backwards into. Floating down, down, farther and deeper, until all that remained was a pinpoint in a sea of black...and then nothing.


	2. Blood & Petals

12:08 am. Not bad, for once. She was managing to leave the hospital when her shift actually ended. Not thirty minutes later, not an hour later, but right when she was scheduled to...approximately. Medications had been administered on time, patients had been exceptionally cooperative, and she had finished all of her work with ease, and turned in her reports. Nights like this were few and far between for Sakura. Even so, it had still been a long day, and she was more than ready for it to be over. Twelve-hour shifts were hard on anyone, even with comfortable shoes...but it was worth it. Occasionally, her mother would scold her for putting so much time in at the hospital, and not getting enough sleep before she'd have to be up again for training, but her pleads to slow down went ignored.

She wanted to be the best medic Konoha had to offer. She had to be. Not for herself, but for the village. Sakura craved for the day when she would be the one her current superiors ran to whenever there was an emergency, and they needed help or guidance. She wanted to save lives, develop new cures, and invent new time-saving techniques.

Ah...who was she kidding. She was doing this for herself just as much as her village. With Naruto bursting at the seams with the unsurpassed chakra of Kurama, and now beginning to dabble in senjutsu, and Sasuke constantly kicking ass and taking names with a fully matured Sharingan she had given up hope trying to keep up with...Sakura was battling not just with a sense of deflation, but downright uselessness within their shadows sometimes. If she could ever hope to match them, there would have to be many more long days and nights ahead.

Consequently, that meant paying less attention to vanity, frequently scavenging for a quick meal only when she could no longer tolerate the pangs of a hungry gut, and right now, falling behind in her laundry. So behind in fact, that she had resorted to wearing the cream yukata with pink and blue flowers she'd been avoiding for months. It's not that she didn't like it anymore. On the contrary, it was one of her favorites. She was irrationally paranoid. There was only one person in all of Konoha she didn't want catching her in that particular yukata, but she vowed to never wear it out in public again, just to be safe.

Today, she had broken that vow for the first time, against her better judgment. Her walk to work had been slightly nerve-racking, with flitting green eyes seeking out her number one threat in the crowds filtering through the busy streets. As nervous as she was, she had taken the risk if only because she had no other stops to make that day, and she promised herself that laundry was the first thing she'd take care of as soon as she returned home. Even if it was 2 am by then. She had her medic outfit with her of course, but she only liked to wear it in the hospital. Before her shift, she wanted it to be as clean as possible, and after her shift, it was usually the last thing she wanted to touch, so she kept it in her bag when she wasn't on the clock.

To no great surprise, Sasuke hadn't shown up. Why would he? It's not like she ran into him that often when they weren't training together or on a mission. Konoha was a vast village to get lost in, and she hadn't been brave enough to cross into Uchiha territory since that fateful day, during a spring storm. Even if she did run into him, there was a healthy chance that he wouldn't so much as give her choice of clothing a second glance. She had no idea if he would recognize the pattern...but he had at least caught a glimpse of it when he'd found it bundled scandalously under Itachi's robe in the tearoom. Nevertheless... Some risks were worth taking, but this was one she would not gamble on.

And Itachi...

As Sakura's tired feet carried her down the long, winding hall that would lead to the main entrance, a bulky bag slung over her shoulder, she found her thoughts drifting to him for the first time in weeks. She had never forgotten him. Embarrassingly enough, she had spent more nights than she could count trying to get him out of her head, in the beginning. It'd been almost impossible, for so very long. Seeing him again had been out of the question, regardless of how many times she had abruptly woken in the middle of the night, roused from an absurdly steamy dream that startled her in its perversion. She just couldn't do it. Even after the bitter-sweet ending—the brief, yet touching conversation he had left her with—she had fled without the courage to ever look back.

Why?

She was afraid...

There were many ways she had tried to rationalize her reaction—her insistence in avoiding the Uchiha entirely—but when all her excuses and lies boiled away, she was left with a stark realization that left her feeling naked and so very small. She was incapacitated by fear, haunted with insecurities, and stumped beyond all hope when it came to understanding the unique and senseless chemistry between them, and what it meant...if anything.

Remarkably, no one had discovered what happened that day, and she planned to keep it that way. Her feelings for Sasuke were conflicting and distracting enough—yes, they were still present, although admittedly, they were...different somehow. She didn't need to be bombarded with an obsession over Itachi as well. Her brain just might literally explode. All she wanted was to get on with her life like nothing had happened, and focus on what mattered most, like her career. Ironically, Itachi had helped push her down that path. As thoughts, memories, and images of him taunted her sporadically for days and nights on end, she had begun working more. Her hope had been to drown him out by staying as busy as possible, and over a stupidly long period of time...it had finally started taking affect.

"Sakura..."

"Sakura, watch out!"

Her head jerked up as she was ripped unexpectedly from her reverie, just in time to see a shoulder honing in on her face. Whipping her body sideways, she barely managed to safely maneuver past the two desperate-looking medics racing a stretcher down the hall in the opposite direction. Had she really not heard them coming? That was a first... Maybe she did need to get more sleep.

The hem of her yukata flared as they zipped by her, leaving her to pause curiously and watch them continue on their way as she stood against the wall. Her eyes flickered between the two, and then down to the body lying between them. The glimpse of a bright, fractured ANBU mask stole her attention, and Sakura danced a sympathetic eye over the bruised and gashed, sallow face that peaked past the jagged porcelain edge, and the dark ponytail that draped over the pillow.

As they disappeared around a corner, she slowly turned around, readjusting the strap on her shoulder. The soft padding of her feet was the only sound to fill the hall once they had gone, and she resumed her thoughtful stare on the floor as she noted that that had been the most action she'd seen all night. Not that she had the right to complain. As much as she enjoyed healing others, she never wanted to see anyone sick or injured.

Half a dozen steps later, Sakura stilled. The blank floor was replaced with the equally boring walls that stretched onward before her, lined with closed doors and manilla envelopes and clipboards sticking out of the slots next to them, as she lifted her head again...but she saw none of it. A deathly silence filled the air, and her bleary gaze sharpened as if waking from a dream. She spun suddenly, a twirl of short pink hair that was in dire need of a wash fanning around her as she faced the direction she had just come from, the same direction the stretcher had barreled down.

Two tentative steps pushed her reluctantly down the hall, and then she broke into a run after a short pause. They carried her to the corner she had seen them skid around, and ran faster when another empty hall greeted her...listening for voices, for wheels, anything that would help her locate them.

It had to be a mistake. There was no way it could be...

But she had to find out.

Common sense guided her down another hall, where she knew she'd find the ICU, and she looked up just in time to see the double doors closing slowly in the distance ahead. Sakura flew into a sprint, startling a nurse as she blurred by with a speed she never would have dared under normal circumstances. The doors swung back open before they had the chance to close all the way, and she slid to a stop at the first door.

The scene that faced her was one she'd experienced so many times before. The room bustled with activity, staff exchanging information and orders to one another, hovering over and scurrying around the body that lied motionless between them. Two more medics rushed past her into the room to help, while she remained just beyond the door frame, trying to get a glimpse of the unknown ANBU that was the focus on everyone's attention, without getting in the way. The one blocking her view of his face finally moved, and Sakura's buzzing mind was silenced instantly with a heavy weight sinking into the pit of her stomach. The broken mask had been shed, and she was left to gape in pure disbelief at the portrait before her, with his head turned to the side and a flaccid, upturned hand hanging over the edge of the stretcher. The strap on her shoulder slipped, and her bag fell to the ground with a soft plop. She swayed briefly, wide eyes and parted lips frozen in time.

"Uchiha Itachi... Blood type AB. Get two pints ready." She heard one of the medics order, yet the hesitant tone in his voice suggested that he didn't believe they were going to need them. An IV stand was already positioned next to him with an untouched hanging bag waiting to be used. They were in the process of hooking him up to the standard machines, and as soon as the heart monitor was activated, a loud, flat sound permeated the room. The sound that always made her hair stand on end...but this time, it did so much more than that.

Vaguely, Sakura caught one of them asking how much time had passed already, and another saying that he had been unresponsive at arrival. The next thing she knew, her body reacted faster than her brain, and she dove into the room and shoved past two of the medics in her way.

"Sakura! What are you—?!"

Everyone took a step back in surprise as she forced her way to the bedside, fingers scrambling to unzip the blood-coated flak jacket with its numerous rips and black singes. She didn't bother to look for the scissors. The dark shirt underneath was mutilated with a loud ripping sound to reveal Itachi's swollen, discolored torso. The sight caused her to suck in her breath, numbing her to her own frantic heart that was already hammering erratically within her. Three broken ribs poked through the blotched purple and red markings painting his skin...pristine, ivory claws reaching through a collage of cuts, lumps, and hematomas.

"Sakura, you shouldn't be in here! Your shift ended—"

"Where are the catheters?!" Her commanding voice interrupted him as her hands pressed gently against the battered chest. There was no doubt within her mind that his lungs were filled with blood, and she knew exactly what she needed to do. A pale, yet vibrant green glow illuminated from her hands, eyes closing in concentration as her medical training took charge and sought out the extent of his injuries. A medic reluctantly handed her the clear tube she had asked for, while casting a confused glance to the man that had questioned her. No one was sure what to do, at first. The suddenness of her arrival and the intense attitude jarred them from their routine.

Snatching the nearest blade, Sakura made the first incision into the left side of his chest and inserted the tube. A gush of red glided down the narrow channel, and she scurried to the opposite side of the bed to repeat the steps on his right lung. This was only the second time she'd performed the procedure, despite how common these types of wounds were in their line of work, and the first time had been under supervision. None of that mattered now. None of it even crossed her mind. Instinct drove her and adrenaline destroyed any hesitation she normally would have fallen victim to when taking charge in this setting, and with a patient in such critical condition.

But this wasn't just a patient. This was Itachi. The man spoken of more highly than any other by Sasuke, who was already out of her league...the man that filled her with all sorts of funny emotions she didn't know how to deal with...the future leader to the Uchiha clan...the one shinobi she'd never seen in need of medical care. He was rumored to be invincible. The one being in all of Konoha who's unmatched skills prevented him from ever setting foot in their hospital for any reason. Yet, here he was... It would have knocked Sakura into a stupor if the utter panic hadn't set in first, tripped into play by the striking flat-line of the heart monitor.

With the dark fluid draining into the regulated containers, her hands spread over the cool skin once more, feeling for the worst of the damage through the tendrils of chakra that poured into him, and targeting them with a flood of life-giving energy. Every organ suffered from one kind of trauma or another, with his lungs close to being irreparable. Another medic shifted above her, placing his hands on either side of Itachi's head as more healing light glimmered along the contours of his sickly features. Two more joined her at his torso.

"What happened to you..." Her voice would whisper too quietly to break past the endless noise of the horizontal green line behind her as she navigated the network of ruptured blood vessels and shattered bones.

"It's been too long. Look at his face... Even if we can revive him now, he's likely to be remain comatose."

Sakura grit her teeth, keeping her eyes shut as an angry scowl expressed the words she would not allow them to hear. They were wrong. He was fine. He was Itachi...he had to be fine. This was nothing to him. He was unstoppable, and any second now the line would hiccup into a healthy rhythm, and he would open his eyes.

Red... Nothing existed but red. Not an offensive, violent red. It was the most beautiful shade... Bathing him in a rich void of midnight crimson as he sank deeper, endlessly, to an immeasurable depth that lulled him perfectly with its warmth and darkness. A ruby sea encased him, and brought with it a sense of profound peace he had never felt before. Light flickered high above. A reach that would have taken him a few short seconds, or hours to drift to, he didn't know. But the light... It was mesmerizing. Lapping, shifting, warping like crystalline waves churning against a surface so loud and chaotic compared to the silent abyss he hovered in. There was no pain, no sadness. Simple, singular contentment was all he knew as he watched the hypnotic scene.

Her eyes opened, daring to glance back at the assaulting sound of the heart monitor in frustration and denial. It wasn't working. Six uninterrupted minutes of pouring her chakra into him, and nothing had changed. She turned back around, hands slipping up to his sternum, and the lifeless heart that hovered beneath.

"Sakura..." A sad voice drifted to her, investing so much implication in the single name it spoke.

"Don't stop." She hissed in return, and the medics around her exchanged knowing glances. None of them knew what had possessed her. They'd never seen her so determined and focused before. For now, they played along...but between the five that inhabited the room, it was clear she was the only one that had a trace of hope left.

And then, a drop... A blaze of white splashing into his protective ocean. A small pearl of light filtering into his darkness like a shooting star with a thin blaze trailing behind it, linking it to the shuddering rays that reflected above. Then another. And then another. They fell like raindrops, pattering over the turbulent surface and down into his realm. His calm, indifferent gaze watched them with the faintest curiosity, peering up lazily past the strands of loose hair left to suspend weightlessly around his face as he drifted deeper still. They seemed so very far away, and yet he couldn't take his eyes off them. Like him, they sank deeper and deeper, following his descent faithfully.

Ten minutes. The determination was faltering. Her confidence was waning. Horror was quickly taking their places. But she couldn't stop. She was in pure disbelief. The reality that this might be something that she, or anyone else, would never be able to fix, was paralyzing her with fear.

This couldn't be happening...

"Sakura."

Someone called her name again, but she wouldn't hear it. She wouldn't open her eyes, and she wouldn't pay heed to the flat-line behind her. The wretched, ear-splitting squeal that made her want to slam her fist into the machine to end its harassment permanently.

"Sakura, it's over." It was soft and gentle, as if they feared she would turn on them in a sudden rage...but persistent. "Brain damage occurs after six minutes. Ten, and we're facing severe neurological damage. You know this. He was gone before he entered the hospital..."

"SHUT UP!" She screamed, causing the four of them to jump simultaneously. The sheer desperation in her voice was unnerving, heartbreaking even.

"If you're not going to help, then get the fuck out of my way!" Her fingers twitched, clenching tensely into his skin as the ribbons of green that matched her eyes coursed continuously through him.

Ah, so they were faster than him. The little beads of light dove onward as if they were filled with purpose. Curious things... But, as the first one reached him, he found his eyes creeping wider. Their dark pools captured movement. A soft twirling and swaying. Nothing like a raindrop, but rather... Yes, it was a petal. A tiny, soft flower petal. It's journey ended with a feathery brush against his cheek, and there it remained. Behind it, others followed closely, and they weren't white after all. They were the palest pink, and they poured over him now. Blinding him to the crashing scarlet waves above, and shrouding him in gentle touches.

Twelve minutes.

Nothing.

The other medics had already backed away from the corpse while her hands remained firmly planted. One of them held a clipboard, and was scribbling the time of death into a form that they'd regrettably had to use so many times before.

"Sakura, I'm sorry..." A hand fell to her back tentatively.

She lost it. Her shoulders shook as she collapsed onto him, arms splaying over his upper chest to hang past his arm. A loud wail haunted the room—an explosion of raw pain and anger she was no longer able to contain, and her face hid itself in the filthy mess of his shredded flak jacket.

How could this be... This wasn't supposed to happen to him. He was too powerful for this. Too strong-willed. And so young... Older than her, but far too young to leave this world. This wasn't an end he deserved. This didn't make any sense.

And Sasuke. How could she tell him what had happened? She would never find the strength to stand in front of him and confess how she had failed. How she had let slip away his only brother, and the one person he cared about above all others.

She would sooner take his place on the stretcher than be faced with that task.

They stopped. Hundreds, no...thousands of tiny pink petals had showered him, blanketing him and floating past him into the darkness, as if an entire forest of cherry blossoms had been shaken above his head. And then, they stopped. He was alert now, staring into the lights peering through the waves above as they reemerged behind the torrent of dismembered flowers that had abruptly ceased. They were different now, though. They were brighter, and closer. He could almost hear the chorus that roared along with them. Almost reach out and touch the surface. But it was fading...fading almost as quickly as the petals had faded. Why? He wasn't sure if he cared. But the petals...they had been so pretty...

"You have his contact information? I'll notify his family." One of them murmured to the other, steering clear of the shuddering girl that was steadily soaking the jacket of the deceased with unseen tears. Her teeth clenched so hard it ached throughout her jaw, and she choked on an exasperated, overwhelmed breath that sounded more like a gasp.

"No! I'll do it..." She blurted through a sob, never lifting her head while she struggled in vain to recollect herself. Four pairs of eyes locked onto the blue and pink flowers of her back, obvious doubt contained in their gazes. Even if she truly wanted to be the one, she couldn't face his family like this. It wasn't professional on their part, and for her, it would just be unbearable torture. Why would she even offer?

Sakura slowly lifted her head, eyes squeezing shut in an agonized grimace she couldn't break herself from, and her right hand balled into a glowing fist and struck down on his chest, directly over his heart as fresh rivers fell down her cheeks.

Blinding lights engulfed him. The waves that had been drifting slowly away shot forward faster than he could register, and the rays that had been beaming through them encompassed him completely. With their new warmth came a violent tingling sensation, and an obnoxious cacophony of noise he couldn't decipher.

Everyone halted mid-motion, heads turning stiffly to stare at the heart monitor as the awful sound they had begun to grow used to had tripped into a steady beat with measured pauses. Sakura blanched, her bloodshot eyes bulged, and she could do nothing but stare in bewildered awe at the gyrating green line on a black screen behind her.

Before any of them could shake from their dazes, a geyser of blood and stomach acid splattered over Itachi's bare chest as he lurched forward reflexively with a sickening gurgle. The body slumped back down silently, just as quickly as it had risen, and the first raspy gasps of air trickled from his coated throat, and bubbled foreboding into the chest tubes that were draining his lungs.

"O—Oh... Oh Kami... Ohhhhhh, oh my goodness..." One of the medics fumbled clumsily, and then sprung into action. Another tossed the partially filled form onto a tray and rushed toward the stretcher. In no time at all, Itachi was filled with more tubes and IV's than they could keep track of.

Sakura swooped down over him, taking his face in her hands to continue her healing. So much of her chakra had been poured into him in such a short amount of time, and it showed as she wobbled a little on her feet all of a sudden, but it didn't matter...her willfulness had paid off. As her hand passed over his cheek and up to his temple, she couldn't help but laugh. More tears dripped from her chin, with no sign of stopping anytime soon, but her laughter was now escalating almost hysterically.

As her energy danced through him, she was thrown for a loop all over again when an eye parted of its own free will right in front of her. A hint of onyx peaking up through sticky lashes to gaze at her, causing her breath to catch in her throat.

The slight change caused the medic next to her to look up and freeze. "No way... That's impossible." The deep voice murmured in astonishment.

"Itachi?" Her whisper bathed his face, quaking in fear and excitement.

The lone eye was fixated indefinitely. For a moment, she thought he couldn't actually see or hear any of them, as unfocused and unresponsive as it was.

"Petals..." The single word forced its way weakly past a pocket of blood, almost indistinguishable to their ears.

"...Petals?..." She repeated as all the sights and sounds of the room around her vanished, leaving her to hang on to his only spoken word. But it was the fact that he had spoken at all that was amazing.

A couple seconds later, his eye inched closed again without further explanation, and the weak wisps of air inhaling and exhaling from his chapped and split, colorless lips were the only sounds he made.

"...Petals...Petals!" Sakura shouted like a maniac, earning her some odd stares and glances as she appeared to all but lose her mind. She laughed harder, body shaking in the turmoil of contrasting emotions that took control of her. This feeling... It was indescribable. He was alive. That's all she could think. He was alive. No longer would she have to entertain the terrifying, heart-wrenching thought of facing Sasuke with the news of his brother's death.

"H-He...he s-said PETALS!" She was gasping for air now. Face stained an alarming pink between the simultaneous laughter and sobs. Her knees quivered, and she stumbled backwards as her hands slipped away from him, feeling suddenly weak. One of the medics grabbed her as her world began to spin, and she was carefully eased down to the floor to lean back against the wall.

Dizzy as she was, and feeling higher than a cloud, she stared up at the stretcher swarmed by attentive hands as they went about healing the rest of his internal injuries as well as they could.

He was ok now... Nothing else mattered...


	3. An Impossible Debt

There were voices somewhere. Drifting in and out within the fog of her chaotic and nonsensical mind. None of them were familiar, and she couldn't distinguish any of the words. Just muffled syllables spoken softly through the darkness, constantly interrupting every random, passing image that unfolded around her without much direction. That was, until something touched her.

Her senses rushed back to her, ushering her into a new realm. She recognized her own limbs instantly, as the haze dispersed and she suddenly felt the confines of her own body once more. The muffled voices sharpened, drifting much closer through a sea of black. Sakura's eyes cracked open slowly, a flood of body aches reigniting to the forefront of her mind as she peered into the blurry, dark room.

"Sakura..."

Springing from her stillness quite abruptly at the sound of a voice right next to her ear, she immediately regretted the movement as pain shot through her neck and head. The chair she'd been half sitting, half laying in hadn't been very comfortable, and the small table she had slouched onto hadn't proven to be a great pillow, either. She smacked a hand against her cheek, only to realize her entire left hand and arm had gone numb...but she still felt the smudge of drool on her face, and blinked down at the shallow pool left on the table. If she'd been any more awake yet, she would've felt a little embarrassed, but she was too busy trying to figure out where she was, and why she was there. The time and day itself eluded her, even. Clearly, she was in dire need of more sleep, and was not at all ready to start functioning yet. Everything was just one giant confusing headache.

"Sakura, what are you doing here?"

The voice, still so close to her, forced her to wake up a little more and mumble something incoherent as she rubbed her puffy eyes, and turned to look up at the source. Black eyes stared down at her from a pale and sinfully pretty face. So pale that it almost glowed in the dark, framed in short strands of black that looked like flawless silk. It took her a couple seconds to realize it was Sasuke standing right next to her, staring down at her, but when she did, she instantly turned pink and quickly wiped the drool off her cheek with the back of her hand.

"Buh...wh-...gah! What? Where am..." She blinked furiously and looked around the room. That's when the quiet sound of the heart monitor reached her ears, blinking its neon green light on the screen across from her, in between two taller forms that were standing next to an occupied hospital bed.

"Sasuke, don't be rude. She must have been here all night. You should be thankful he has someone watching over him so closely." A gentle female voice carried over to them, and Sakura spotted the pale face and dark hair and eyes that mirrored Sasuke's so acutely.

"I didn't mean it like—... Sorry." He ended his fragmented sentence with a defeated grunt, glancing away from his mother and back to Sakura, who was still too wrapped up in trying to put everything together to speak yet.

Mikoto carefully moved closer to the sleeping form buried under sheets and blankets with thin plastic tubes protruding all over the place. She bent down, petting a small hand over Itachi's forehead and down his cheek, murmuring something Sakura couldn't pick up. Fugaku stood next to her, keeping his downcast eyes and all-too serious expression on the motionless body. In the dim light, she could make out the dark shades of his Konoha Military Police uniform, and the tired lines on his face that reminded her a little of Itachi's. He must have been working late, without a chance to stop home before the bad news reached him.

Things were clearer now. She remembered where she was, and why... After Itachi had been stabilized, Sakura had collapsed into a chair, and watched a couple nurses wheel him away to clean him off and get rid of the mutilated and useless ANBU uniform that had been left in rags. It had been around 2 am then. She should have gone home. Everyone had told her to. But she wouldn't... She had waited for them to transfer him to a room, and when they did, she marched her tired, stubborn butt in there and sat down. They had brought him back to life, mended his lungs and ribs the best they could, and dealt with the rest of his internal injuries, but he wasn't in the clear yet. If something happened, she wanted to be there, and she wasn't going to let anyone push her out for any reason.

Whenever she had drifted off the sleep was beyond her. The last thing she could remember was staring off into space at the shifting light on the screen and the numbers next to it, searching in vain for any threatening blips that would signal something was wrong. She should have known she would have nodded off eventually. She also should have expected his family to show up. She'd just been so drained that it slipped her mind.

"My shift had just ended when he came in..." She began slowly, glancing back up to Sasuke, who was still watching her intently, and waiting for an answer.

"They ran past me with him when I was walking down the hall, and...I didn't recognize him at first, but then I realized... So I... I ran after them, and... I helped." It was a sad excuse of an explanation, but she found herself at a loss for the right words, and with each second that ticked by under his curious gaze, she felt more and more nervous. It didn't make sense for her to be so nervous, and she knew that, in the back of her mind. Perhaps it was the guilt subconsciously lurking around, poking holes in her confidence. The guilt she still held from her first meeting with Itachi. Sasuke didn't know any of that, but even still, she found it difficult to completely relax under his spotlight.

"You helped them after your shift ended... And then you stayed?" His voice murmured down to her, sounding much more suspicious to her than it really should have, and Sakura suddenly felt a little too hot under the collar.

"W-well, I...yeah. I mean... He's your brother, soo..." Her voice grew smaller and smaller as she trailed off clumsily, failing to notice her own hands gripping into fists in her lap as she squirmed uncomfortably. Yeah, he was Sasuke's brother. That's why she had stayed. There couldn't be any other reason besides that... Right?

She nearly jumped when she felt a hand thump down on her shoulder, and her head jerked back up to look at him.

"Thanks, Sakura." The words that reached her surprised her, and she gawked silently at the faint smile he gave her, before he glanced over to the bed.

It was only a simple thank you, but it was the most genuine thing he'd said to her in a while. A long while. She never had apologized for going off on him all those months ago, and ever since then, he'd been a little different around her. A bit more aloof, if nothing else...ironically, the exact opposite of what she had wanted him to be, and hoped he would be considering the things she had said. But...this was Sasuke. His frustrating reaction shouldn't have shocked her at all.

The warm hand slipped off her shoulder, and she watched him move to the bedside across from his parents.

"This is the first time he's been in a hospital, I think." Sasuke joked quietly, looking down at him while Mikoto kissed his cheek next to the oxygen mask and stood back up. "And hopefully the last. Look at all these tubes..." She said, frowning sadly while her husband remained silent, lost in thought.

They didn't know, did they? No one had told them the state in which he had been brought to the hospital. She could tell just by watching them. They didn't have a clue how close they'd come to losing him forever.

"He lost a lot of blood."

The three looked over at her simultaneously, and Sakura tensed slightly under their collective gazes, feeling a bit nervous again. This was the first time she'd been around Sasuke's whole family. If she'd ever even spoken to his parents before, she couldn't remember when. She just felt so...out of place, all of a sudden.

Letting her eyes fall to the floor, she sifted through the flashes of memories that had occurred only hours ago, trying to decide what details to tell them, if any, while her head pounded unsympathetically.

"There was some damage to his chest, so we had to drain the fluid, and...there were a lot of gashes to stitch. He's ok, though... He'll be fine. Just a little beat up." Offering a slight smile, she decided to leave it at that. What use was there in painting a horrific picture? No matter how accurate, troubling them with such things wouldn't do any good now. Who wanted to hear that their son, or their brother, almost died—had died—and was seconds away from having a sheet pulled over his head? Sakura wasn't even a part of their family, and it had torn her up inside when she thought he was truly gone. She didn't want to burden them...especially with things that were in the past, and couldn't be helped now.

"Oh, his back is a little messed up too. He'll need some physical therapy before he goes back to work." She added quickly, remembering the splints and bandages they'd used.

As little as she had given them to mull over, the vibe in the room had shifted noticeably, and the looks they were giving her—the look Sasuke was giving her—was enough to reinforce her belief that she had done the right thing in downplaying Itachi's injuries.

"Uhm... What did they tell you?" She mumbled more quietly, watching them expectantly.

"They said he had been admitted to the hospital at midnight, and that he was in stable condition and resting." Mikoto spoke while the others stared. The doctor charged with his care must not have dropped in yet, or perhaps they had just showed up... Either way, he was bound to make his appearance sooner or later, and there was no doubt he would share more of the awful details with them that Sakura had avoided. If only she could stop him... Of course, they had every right to know what he had gone through, but this was one thing she wished she could hide, for their sake.

"Well...someone should be in shortly to talk with you. I'll leave you guys alone with him." Sakura pushed her stiff form out of the chair, joints cracking and popping as she realigned herself into a normal position. She still didn't know what time it was, but she could already tell the next day ahead of her was going to be brutal.

"Oh, you don't have to leave!" Mikoto pleaded with a smile, catching her off guard. "It was thoughtful of you to stay... It's like he has his own guardian angel with you here. I can't believe Sasuke has never mentioned what a considerate and capable teammate he has." Shooting him a reprimanding look, Sasuke looked shocked for a second, before sheepishly glancing away, saying nothing. Sakura felt a swell of pride at the unanticipated compliment, but hid it under a bashful smile.

"Let her go." Fugaku's deep, yet low voice finally joined in, his eyes cast once more on his resting son. "She needs her sleep. The nurses will take care of him."

"Oh... I guess you're right..." Mikoto sighed quietly without putting up a fight. "I'm sorry Sakura, you must be very tired."

"It's ok! I stayed because I wanted to." She blurted, but before she could make a single move for the door, it opened for her then, bathing the dark room with a flood of light from the hallway. A nurse crept in and closed it behind her, letting only a thin shaft of light peak past to streak over the bed. She gave them all a pleasant smile, until her eyes fell on Sakura standing in the corner.

"Sakura! You're still here?" The disbelieving stare caused her to laugh awkwardly.

"Heh... Yep. I'm still here. Actually, I was just about to leave..."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised, after everything that's happened." Shaking her head, the nurse smirked before facing Fugaku and Mikoto, a clipboard in her hand.

"What do you mean, after everything that's happened?" His mother asked, watching her quizzically.

The nurse looked a little surprised at first as she took in the obviously ignorant masks on their faces. Sakura blanched in realization, and her eyes widened slightly. Raising a hand, she waved to get the girl's attention, only to be ignored.

"Well, after the ordeal your son has been through... She wouldn't leave his side. In fact, she was shouting orders at everyone in the ICU. We could hear her down the halls."

"The...the ICU?" Mikoto whispered, bringing a hand to her mouth as she listened intently.

All traces of humor left the nurse's face, as she seemed to understood just then that nobody had informed his family of what happened to him. She glanced briefly to Sakura, who was now waving frantically with both hands behind the turned heads, and gave her a quick, sharp look.

"Yes, he was rushed to the ICU. Mrs. Uchiha, Sakura here is the only reason your son is alive, from what I've heard."

Sakura's hands dropped to her sides, a sinking dread plummeting through her stomach like a bag of stones. The three of them turned to stare at her in disbelief, immediately searching for a more elaborate explanation. The one they now knew she had been withholding from them.

Her mouth flapped opened without direction, unsure of what to say to them, but with the look of embarrassment and horror on her face, they didn't need to hear anything from her to know the nurse's words rang true.

"Sakura... What happened?" Mikoto's voice reached her, and she felt her chest tighten.

"He... He was in pretty bad shape, initially..." Revealing reluctantly, she clenched her jaw, scrambling for a way to give them enough information to make them happy, without saying more than was necessary.

"Your son was dead on arrival. Sakura spent almost fifteen minutes trying to revive him. No one else would have waited that long. It's unheard of for a brain to recover after such a long time without oxygen, but he's doing alright so far. It's nothing short of a miracle." For some reason, the nurse seemed hellbent on exposing all of the raw and worst facts to them. If she could have gotten away with it, Sakura would have shoved her back out of the room and slammed the door, but there was nothing she could do now.

Mikoto stumbled a little, before grabbing a chair and slowly sitting down while her hands shook over her mouth. She stared at Sakura, piercing through her with an astonished look. Fugaku's eyes narrowed slightly at the news, his brows knitting together as he glanced down to Itachi, and then over to Sakura as well.

"Almost fifteen minutes...?" He asked her skeptically, eyes searching her own, and Sakura tried to keep her throat from closing up and becoming useless.

"...Yes...It's true." She finally managed to admit, and swallowed as her shoulders slumped. What else could she say to them? There was nothing for her to be ashamed of, but that didn't mean she wanted them to know everything that had gone on. Sometimes, ignorance was bliss...

Meanwhile, Sasuke had been standing there with his back to her, facing the nurse without so much as moving a muscle. It was as if he hadn't heard a single word anyone had spoken, as he stared off into space. Every so often, the nurse would give him a curious look, but said nothing.

"It's...it's not something we usually do... I... He's Sasuke's brother. I couldn't just stand there and...let him go." Her voice cracked unexpectedly with those last three words, and Sakura looked away from them, overwhelmed with a strange surge of emotion that had come out of nowhere, and she was forced to put all of her focus into keeping her eyes dry as she blinked and cleared her throat.

Crap. Why was she about to cry? Shinobi don't cry. This wasn't good... Everything was fine now. There was nothing to be sad about. She had done what she had to do, and it had paid off. Itachi was alive, his family was here, she could relax and go on with her life...starting with scrounging a couple more hours of sleep before the next long day began.

In her silent struggle to remain composed, she had missed the movement in the corner of her eye. The rest of the room had fallen quiet. Even the nurse paused. But there was a new sound briefly as a shift of fabric faintly caught her ear. In the next moment, a wall of warmth slammed into her, almost startling a yelp from her as her eyes flashed wide and she stared in wonder past a shoulder and brush of dark hair.

Sasuke had snatched her into a bear hug, and was holding her so tightly she was afraid to move...if moving was even possible. Her mind was wiped clean of all thoughts, and slowly, her arms curled around his back out of reflex. The back of a man that had barely ever touched her, outside of their occasional sparring, and the hand that had patted her shoulder moments earlier. Had Sasuke ever hugged her before at all? She couldn't recall... It was such a rare event that she didn't have a clue what to do. She was too stunned to even fully enjoy it.

Across the room, Fugaku leaned down and whispered something into his wife's ear, before kissing her on the head and turning to the nurse. "I'd like to speak with you outside." The nurse gave him a confused look, but obliged anyway.

"Of course... I'm not his doctor, though. He'll be able to fill you in better than I can."

"You seem to know enough." He insisted, and the nurse quickly nodded and walked out with him, almost seeming a little intimidated. He was, after all, the only one in the room that kept all of his emotions under control. There was something eerie about his level of reserve.

None of it registered to Sakura, though. Everything else in the world ceased to exist for a few fleeting moments...and then even longer, when she realized Sasuke wasn't letting go. His hands pressed into her lower back and between her shoulder blades, and his dark eyes cast an intense look at the wall behind her. Sakura had froze, unsure of what to say...unsure of what to even feel yet.

"Was he really...? Was he really dead?" Faintly, she heard him whisper behind her, so quietly it was as if he was afraid of his own words. Like he couldn't bare to speak them. It was a vulnerable sound she'd never heard from him before.

"Yes..."

"And you brought him back...? All by yourself?"

"No...not by myself...but...they kept telling me to stop...that there was nothing more we could do..."

His head tilted down to hide his mouth against her shoulder, eyes squeezing shut as he refused to let her go. He was remarkably still and quiet, and she could tell he wasn't crying, but those few gestures alone spoke volumes for him. There was so much emotion seeping to the surface that she never expected to feel from him...literally feel...as everything flowed through the hard steel of his arms wrapped around her, nearly crushing the air out of her lungs. He expressed more with that endless hug than he ever could have with words.

"He'll be ok, Sasuke. I promise." She muttered a little more fragile, sensing the same wave that had hit her moments ago returning as her eyes grew misty again. This time, it couldn't be helped. Once the initial shock had worn off, all those girly emotions she wanted to suppress were inching closer and closer. So what if this was Sasuke...actually hugging her...actually appreciating her...and actually showing it for the first time ever. This was no time to be mushy. She was supposed to be strong and encouraging, now that everyone knew what had happened. And she was trying...but... Sasuke was hugging her. For Sakura, he had been her greatest weakness for years, and the one person that eluded her so expertly. Embracing him was more than a little difficult to fathom now.

And just like that, it was over. One second he was holding her like she had always wished he would, and the next, his hands were slipping as he pulled away from her. There was a bitter-sweet ache in her heart as she looked up at him, his face passing into view as he stood in front of her, letting his arms fall away. Sniffing quietly, she wiped the corner of her eye before a tear could fall. His were dry, though they revealed a new heaviness, and a sadness as he seemed to gaze right through her.

For a moment, it looked as though he were about to speak, but he stopped short. Sakura watched him curiously, waiting, and then felt a hint of apprehension when she noted the unusual change in his eyes. They sharpened somehow, and were no longer drifting through her, but dissecting her rather closely. They weren't looking into her own, either, they were aimed down somewhere along her chest or shoulder—she wasn't sure where.

"What...?"

She looked down when he said nothing, and her vision was flooded with the yellow and blue flowers of her slightly wrinkled and blood-spattered yukata.

The yukata she had left at their house, crumpled under Itachi's robe.

Ice washed through her insides, chilling her to the bone as a spark of panic ignited within her. She had completely forgotten what she was wearing. Of course, the entire day before she had been freaking out and taking ridiculous precautions to evade Sasuke...and then when he shows up in Itachi's hospital room—and naturally he was going to show up—it magically slips her mind. To be fair, she had been asleep when he came in, and worn out beyond belief, but Kami... She should have remembered to take care of at least that not-so-minor detail!

When she looked back up at him, her eyes were a little too wide, and her pulse a little too thick as the color drained from her face. Those dark orbs, twitching over the pattern that covered her, eventually snapped to stare into her own wildly alert, pale green, and she nearly flinched.

He recognized it... He definitely recognized it... She could tell. He didn't need to say a word.

"Uhm! I'm sorry... I really need to go...now.. Gotta get ready to train soon! Kakashi... I have to train with Kakashi. Today—this morning! He's going to show me..something...because... I-I'll see you later!"

And with that hasty, pathetic patchwork of an excuse, Sakura hurried past him and waved a quick goodbye to his grieving and confused mother before dashing out the door. She slipped between Fugaku and the nurse, bowing apologetically as she barely managed not to smack into them, and broke at a near jog down the empty hallway. The kind of pace that screamed, 'I'm not trying to attract any attention...but holy shit get out of the way!'

"Hey..."

He ears picked up a voice calling behind her, the very last voice she now wanted to hear. Sasuke had poked his head out of the door, and then wriggled in between his father and the nurse, just as she had. She didn't stop though, in fact, she moved even faster as her heart pounded.

"Sakura!" He yelled louder, sounding slightly annoyed when she ignored him.

"I'm really tired, I gotta go!" She called back quickly, before breaking into a run...somehow missing how terribly contradictory her actions and speech were. But she couldn't think straight anymore. All she wanted to do was escape. Dear Kami, if she would ever be forced to face him with the truth, it couldn't be today. Any day but today. She couldn't handle any more stress right now...and probably neither could he.

She zipped around a corner and disappeared without hearing another sound from him, and instantly breathed a sigh of relief, though in the back of her paranoid mind she wondered if he would start chasing after her. Needless to say, she made the rest of the way out of the hospital and started her journey through the village streets back home as if she were trying to out-maneuver a stalker. Never once stopping to think that she might have left something important behind...like her bag with her medic uniform. The one still sitting in Itachi's hospital room.

"What am I going to do now..." She muttered in exasperation to herself as she took a shortcut down an alley. Sleep was now the last thing on her mind, even as the desolate roads and black sky revealed she still had a bit of time to take a long nap before she needed to be up and functioning again. For a short while, everything had been perfect. She had been so close to him. She had actually felt significant for once. Before tonight, the only reason Sasuke had ever paid any attention to her was because she was on his team, and so he had no choice...that's really what she believed. But after he'd learned that she had saved his brother's life...it was as if he saw her as something valuable, for the first time. Even if these weren't the best circumstances, it had felt so good... But then, he had to see the one thing she didn't want him to see. He had to pay attention to the stupid clothes she was wearing, and the look on his face... It was like a light bulb had popped over his head. A very bad, foreboding light bulb. Could her luck be any worse?

What if he asked Itachi who he had been with that day, whenever he woke up? Would he answer honestly?

What if he asked her point blank? What would she tell him?

Fifteen minutes later, Sakura was able to flop down into her clean bed and stare up at the plain ceiling. No, there would definitely be no more sleeping tonight. Exhausted though she was, her mind was reeling. One thing was for certain, though. This yukata had to go. Nevermind the fact that it was stained with blood. It was going in the trash either way. But for now, all she could do until the sun came up was waste away in a hundred reasons to worry.


	4. A True Friend

The steps down the hallway sounded louder than usual, and the lights seemed brighter. She was a tiny bit grumpy, a tiny bit nervous, and tired enough that every other thought passing through her head consisted of her face-planting into her own bed. Or a hospital bed. Or hell, the grass even. She just wanted to sleep, but she couldn't. Her day was only half over. Yet, with each step down that all-too-familiar hall, she was becoming more and more alert. Why? Sasuke. She had no idea if he would still be in the hospital, but it was very probable that he would be, and guess who had left their bag in Itachi's room in their hurry to escape... Yep. She did.

The rest of her sleepless morning had been spent with her thinking herself in circles, drowning in worry. Mostly because she really wasn't sure how she should approach the dreaded conversation with Sasuke that she knew was coming. She would run into him again, and soon. It was inevitable. And as much time as she's spent with him over the years, she couldn't begin to guess what he would say or a do in this situation. It was just too...bizarre in general. There were too many factors, too many unknowns...and as a result, the headache she had awoken with so early in the morning had never faded away. It was now worse.

Her hands fiddled absent-minded with the hem of the shorts she was wearing, gaze lost in the endless, reflective floor as she rounded a corner and crept closer and closer to the door she wanted nothing more than to avoid at the moment. Luckily, she had arrived early for her shift, and had brought a spare uniform with her in a separate, smaller bag she rarely used, but she still needed to retrieve the other one. There was a sharp twinkle in her flitting eyes, despite the puffy bags beneath them stress and sleep deprivation had granted her. Stopping just short of the door, she stared at it as if she expected a monster to be hiding on the other side, just waiting for her to inch within its range so it could ambush her and drag her to her doom. The door itself was ajar, with a dark crack masking everything inside. The lights were off still... She couldn't hear anything... Perhaps everyone had left. Well, they were a fairly busy family, weren't they? They couldn't be there all the time. If only she could be lucky enough to avoid him a for a little longer. She really wasn't ready to face him yet.

Sakura stood there another minute, trying to catch a rustle, a whisper, a snore—anything. Nothing could be heard. Taking a step closer, she put her hand on the door to slide it open, only to feel it suddenly slip away from her with a life of its own, the smooth surface replaced with a flak jacket about an inch away from her nose as it was flung to the side.

"GAH!" She yelled, jumping backwards and smacking a hand over her chest in fright. The stern, yet slightly surprised face of Fugaku stared down at her, blinking curiously.

"Oh! Mr. Uchiha!" Bowing politely, her eyes flickered from him to the darkness behind, wondering if Sasuke might in fact be in there after all. Good grief, he hadn't made a sound. How had he done that? She'd almost had a heart attack! He was wearing the same thing he'd had on earlier that morning too, and she had to wonder if he'd ever gone home.

"Uhm... Is Sasuke still here too?" The question was posed apprehensively as she clasped her hands in front of her. For a second—and only a second—the man left her hanging with a stoic expression, and Sakura paused. A memory hit her in a flash. Standing on a clean wooden porch with the pattering of rain darkening the path behind her, gazing up in confused wonder at a tired-looking man in a robe as he blinked down at her from the doorway. It had caught her off guard, almost as suddenly as he had whipped the door open in front of her, but she wasn't left to daydream for long.

"Sasuke left this morning to meet with Kakashi. He'll be back later." He answered her, ripping her from her unexpected reverie.

"Oh..." Her voice fell quietly, and it only took her a couple seconds to realize the mistake she had made. Just before she had run out of the room earlier, she'd conjured up some hasty, and painfully unbelievable lie about having to train with Kakashi in a few hours. Of course, as her luck would have it, that would be the exact thing Sasuke ended up doing that day. Kami, did she absolutely suck at lying, or what? Now she was really going to be in hot water.

"Are you working today, Sakura?"

"Yeah, my shift starts soon. I just needed to get my bag real quick. Is Itachi awake yet?"

"No, not yet. But I'd like you to come with me, if you can spare a minute."

Sakura's eyes lit up when he stepped out of the doorway and closed it softly behind him. The way he spoke made it sound like more of a statement than a request, which gave her pause. But then she remembered who he was, and what he did for a living. He was a man used to giving orders, wasn't he? He never left room for debate...and even if he did, he likely wasn't challenged by anyone under his command anyway. Well, she wasn't going to be the first to do it, that was for certain...

"Sure, of course... Where are we going?" She asked softly, following him as he lead the way down the hall.

"The nurse just informed me that Shisui is awake. He will want to meet you."

"Shi-...Shisui?" Trailing off in confusion, as the name didn't ring a bell for her, Sakura's brows knit together as she stared off into space at the white and red fan on the jacket bobbing along in front of her.

"Uchiha Shisui. He brought Itachi to the hospital last night. They were assigned the same mission. You didn't treat him?"

"...Oh! No, I had no idea..." Her eyes widened slightly, recalling that she had never stopped to consider exactly how Itachi had gotten to the hospital in the first place. Clearly he hadn't been in the condition to just walk into the lobby on his own.

They stopped at another door not too far away, and Sakura crept inside the equally dark room after the elder. In a bed before them, she could make out the figure of a pale man about Itachi's age with short dark hair. The head of the bed was propped up so he could sit upright without exerting himself, and he was shirtless with an array of bandages wrapped around his limbs, chest and waist, and an IV in his arm. The dark eyes staring into the room made her feel instantly guilty, though there was no logical reason for her to be. She merely regretted feeling so crappy, for the state this stranger was in before her—though he was still better off than Itachi—was far worse than hers. It took only a glimpse to determine their team had been through one hell of a trip last night.

The young man glanced in their direction immediately, and when Sakura flicked on the light, his eyes widened at the sight of Fugaku as he stepped toward the bed. But he stopped halfway, and they both watched in awe as Shisui pulled himself forward, wincing visibly as he left the comfort of the sloping bed, hands gripping into the blankets draped over him.

"Fugaku...Sir..." He breathed weakly, beginning to address him formally as he continued to shift, and slide his legs around to hang off the side of the bed. Sakura's hand drifted close to her mouth, half inclined to rush forward and stop him from moving. Even if he was capable, it wasn't something he should be doing yet, and she didn't need to be a medic to understand that. It looked painful and difficult, and the uncomfortable creases on his face said enough. She let him go though, as he seemed like he would be too determined to listen to her warning to take it easy.

Fugaku watched the sight as closely as she did, waiting patiently while Shisui managed to stand up and take a single step away from his bed, and pulled the IV from his arm. He was dressed in loose-fitting hospital pants with a drawstring, and nothing else. Blotches of purple and blue peaked from under the edges of the bandages circling his waist. An angry, red welt spread out from under a solid cast on his left arm. A mark she immediately recognized as a burn, which looked to have been healed moderately well already. With the amount of cotton and tape patched all over him, he could have made himself a new shirt.

Sakura glanced questioningly to Fugaku when he failed to speak or move. Why wasn't he doing anything? Was she missing something? But a soft thud brought her attention back to Shisui as he dropped to the cold floor on his knees, and forced his battered muscles into a low bow, with his forehead nearly touching the floor in front of the other man.

"Please, forgive me... There were too many of them. They split us apart. By the time I found him... I wasn't fast enough...I wasn't strong enough..." The words that filled the empty void in the room were spoken from a reservoir of courage and discipline, unwavering in strength, though the eyes that faced the floor were locked tightly shut. His teeth clenched. He looked rigid and exhausted, though Sakura couldn't tell if it was a result from physical pain, or something far deeper...

"Shisui, you don't need my forgiveness." Fugaku interrupted him calmly, but the younger man pressed on.

"No, I do. I failed him. I failed you. I failed your family. I couldn't save him... I tried... Please, believe me. I tried...with everything I had... I wasn't—"

"—Shisui, Itachi is alive." Fugaku cut him off.

A deafening silence surrounded them, before slowly, the younger man opened his eyes to stare distantly at the floor an inch from his nose. The hand that had been hovering uncertainly near Sakura's mouth drifted over her lips, her other arm stretching across her waist. He had though he was dead... Well, that shouldn't come as a shock. He'd been unconscious this whole time, apparently. Poor guy... She couldn't begin to imagine what he must have been feeling.

Well, actually...maybe she could, if only a little bit. Early that morning, she had thought Itachi was gone forever, too.

"But... No... He's dead. He died before I reached the hospital..." His head lifted to stare in utter disbelief as he slowly sat upright, wide dark eyes frozen as he scrutinized the memories that haunted him.

"Yes. He was without a pulse for over ten minutes, so they say." Fugaku stepped to the side and glanced to Sakura, who couldn't take her gaze off the shocked look on Shisui's face.

"We owe our gratitude to Haruno Sakura for reviving him."

Shisui looked to her for the first time since they had entered the room, and for a few lengthy seconds, they simply stared at one another, neither having a clue what to say...where to begin...

"...He's...alive...?"

After a pause, Sakura nodded slowly at him, and couldn't help but smile as her hand fell away from her face. "He's not awake yet, but he's just down the hall. Would you like to see him?" She offered gently, and spared a glance at Fugaku, who merely watched her with a mysterious gleam in return.

They waited quietly as he sat there, continuing to stare as if nothing they said could quite reach him. Their words were far too good to be true. He half wondered if he was caught up in some lucid dream that would torment him once he awoke to the harsh reality that awaited. But then, the discomfort returned to contort his face as he pushed himself up off the floor.

Sakura stepped forward instinctively to help him this time, only to be stopped by Fugaku as he held up a hand. As if to say, 'Let him do it.' She looked at him in confusion, but he didn't offer any explanation, and so she was left to bite her tongue and watch the injured man rise on his own two feet uninhibited.

"Show me...please." Accepting her invitation with remarkable reserve, Sakura nodded a second time and lead the way out of his room and down the hall. His steps were slow but steady, and it took them a bit longer than expected to reach the other room. She chose to stay near him just to be safe, though refrained from aiding him per Fugaku's insistence that she leave him be. Perhaps it was simply a matter of pride that he move all on his own...she couldn't know for sure.

Opening Itachi's door for him, she let him walk with deliberate, stiff steps into the room and over to his bed. Shisui stood there for a time at the edge, staring down at his sleeping friend with the same look of disbelief he'd veiled himself with before. His face, sallow and vacant, appeared as it had last night...though he could see the traces of life that gave color to him. They were faint, but they were there, humming under the surface.

He has a pulse...he's breathing...he's alive. Yet, as many times as he repeated those words in his clouded head, with his own two eyes displaying all the evidence he would ever need, he just couldn't believe it.

Sakura waited quietly by the door, giving him his space as he seemed to disappear within himself entirely. If Fugaku hadn't specifically requested her presence, she would have left immediately. It was such a personal moment, she didn't feel right being there at all, but she would linger until instructed otherwise.

Suddenly, he collapsed into the chair behind him, and hunched over with his elbows resting on his legs, hands hanging between his knees. His head lowered, short limp hair masking his eyes, and Fugaku slipped past her and over to him. She watched as he set a hand on the younger man's shoulder, without saying a word. She could hear a shaky exhale drift from Shisui. All of the strength he'd armed himself with began its gradual descent as a light tremor wracked through him, and his hands slowly clenched into loose fists.

"Not every mission will be a success. You're both alive. That's all that matters." A deep voice murmured next to him. Still as calm as ever, though with those quiet words, he let his normally authoritative, stoic demeanor dissolve...if only briefly.

"Even if we had lost him, it would not have been your fault."

With that sentence, Shisui's hand rose to cover his face, his other arm retracting inward toward his stomach as his back arched him lower. He fell silent. Even his breathing paused. Sakura looked down at her feet. She didn't need to see him to know what was happening, as a single tear slipped out from under his hand, down his chin, and dropped onto his cast in the darkness...soon followed by another.

"I know you did your best...and I'm proud of both of you."

He released the breath he had been holding and leaned back into the chair, letting his hand drop as he stared over at the motionless figure on the bed. The corners of his eyes twitched lightly, though he somehow managed a controlled expression, despite the twin, clear rivulets streaking without sound down his cheeks.

Fugaku patted him once on the back, and then turned and walked toward Sakura. She glanced up when he neared, and he outstretched his hand, signaling for her to exit before him to give the younger man some time alone. But as they filed out the door, Shisui called out. "Sakura, wait a minute..."

Poking her head back in, she looked at him curiously, and he waved her over. She stepped back inside, and heard the door close behind her after only a small hesitation, as Fugaku left her alone with him.

For a third time, she saw him begin to struggle to his feet, and now she was at liberty to speak up. "Stop moving so much. You're supposed to be resting." She chided him as she walked over to his chair, though in a voice much gentler than she would normally use, given the circumstances. Though she was beginning to get a bit irritated.

He ignored her, of course, insisting on standing so he could pull her into a hug . She was surprised at first. Not nearly as surprised as when Sasuke clobbered her with his bear hug, but surprised nonetheless, as she felt him press into her.

"I don't know how you did it...but thank you." He whispered into her ear as a wet cheek slid against hers. He'd never met her before this day. He knew of her vaguely, since she was on Sasuke's team, but they had never crossed paths. Never had a reason to. None of that mattered now, though. He didn't care who she was. All he knew was that she had brought his best friend back from the dead, and he owed her everything for that.

Sakura gingerly looped her arms around his waist, searching for the appropriate words as she glanced down at the bed over his shoulder, and tried not to squeeze any of his injuries.

"I couldn't have done it if you hadn't brought him back..." She laughed softly, an attempt to lighten the mood somewhat and hopefully make him feel better. In response, his arms clung to her a little tighter, and she heard him sigh.

After a few seconds, he let her go, and took a step backwards. She was able to see him clearly then. Everything from the mild red tint to his eyes, the worn creases below them, and the damp shine on his composed, ghostly face. His hair was a little messy, but he was handsome enough even with the state he was in. Not quite as handsome as Itachi...though as soon as that thought crossed her mind, she felt an anxious flutter in her gut. Really, she shouldn't be thinking such things in the first place...especially not right now...

"At least we know we don't have to worry about Sasuke." Shisui smirked faintly, complimenting her indirectly as he turned to face the bed again. Not once had he bothered to wipe the tears off his face, as if he wasn't at all ashamed or embarrassed to reveal his emotions...though he did keep an air of dignity all the same. Sakura found herself admiring him for that.

But, Sasuke... She knew what he meant when he said that. Being on his team as a medic was a huge benefit. But she couldn't help to think how ironic that statement was. For her, he was the one thing she couldn't stop worrying about now. She kept those thoughts to herself, though. If Shisui didn't know anything that had gone on between her, Itachi, and Sasuke, she wasn't going to be the one to tell him.

"You should sit back down." She murmured abruptly, feeling she was finally able to speak her mind. He shot her a look from the corner of his mildly puffy eye, studying her.

"...Would it make you feel better?" His question held a tinge of mischief in it, contradicting the worn and emotionally drained look on his face.

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it...then opened it again in a huff. "It's going to make you feel better if you just settle down and rest." Arms crossing over her chest, she cocked her hip and leveled a gaze on him that promised she would physically make him sit in a few seconds if he didn't move his own butt himself. The more she observed him, the more and more it bothered her to watch him wander about and get up and down, and now that Fugaku's intimidating presence was gone, her disposition on the matter wasn't going to be ignored.

His response consisted of that same strange look peaking from the corner of his eye, and a smile slowly spreading on his lips. Another memory hit her, suddenly. One filled with colors of bright green, pink, blue and red. The vivid bouquet of an immaculately kept garden, dripping with raindrops into a glass pond alive with koi. She stood there just before the porch, in virtually the same position she was in now, battling through a barrage of anger and damaged pride.

The scene captured her briefly, just long enough to miss Shisui turn and drop himself carefully into the chair. He was still smiling lightly as he leaned back, eyes closing. "Medics..." He poked fun at her as he obliged in her request.

Sakura blinked, returning to reality and looking down at him curiously, before her brow furrowed. "Hey, medics are the only reason you're walking at all right now, buddy."

"I know... Believe me, Sakura. I don't undervalue your profession at all. I'm just teasing you." His eyes reopened a sliver, aimed at the bed across from him. Her's wandered from his face, down to the floor, and then over to the bed as well.

"Yeah... I'm sorry. I'm just...kinda tired." The tone of her voice melted into something less challenging as her arms slipped down to her sides. She crept closer to the bed, a tangle of funny emotions she couldn't quite pick apart buzzing through her mind as she watched the peaceful, sleeping face lying below. Her hands propped on the blanket next to Itachi as she contemplated, trying to figure out why these memories were finding her now...and why the littlest things were triggering them. So much time she had spent trying to wipe them into oblivion, for her own sake, and here they came rushing back in bits and pieces.

"How many times has something like this happened?"

"To him? Never."

Sakura said nothing at first, finding his answer difficult to believe as she glanced over the halo of black around his face, and the still, dark lashes of his closed lids. Faint puffs of steam pulsed against the oxygen max secured to his mouth as he breathed steadily. To her knowledge, Itachi had never been in the hospital before. She'd never seen him herself, and she'd never heard Sasuke mention anything. But still...

"Really? After the things he said to me, I kinda thought he would've had a near-death experience before." Attention fading, Sakura failed to notice the eyes settling on her back as she leaned forward and brushed away a strand of hair that was caught in his lashes. The eyes that considered her now with greater interest, though they were locked in a lazily narrowed gaze that would have deceived her of his new focus.

"What did he say?" Shisui noted the gradual change in her voice and the almost affectionate gesture she had given his friend, though he was nonchalant as he questioned her.

"Just that...well...he said something like how he was always living in the moment, and doing things without thinking too much, because life was so short and unpredictable. He never knew what was going to happen next, so he tried to appreciate everything and everyone while he had the chance." She couldn't quote him, as she didn't remember everything he'd said word for word, but she remembered enough. He had impacted her with that small speech, and it was something she always kept in the back of her mind now.

As she was secretly studied from behind, she straightened out the blankets covering Itachi, and sighed to herself. The precise events that caused him to believe what he believed, and do what he did, were unknown to her. Part of her wanted to understand what had brought him behave the way he did...but another part of her warned against it. They couldn't have been pleasant events, by any stretch of the imagination. Even so, she wished she knew more about him. Neither of her teammates thought the way he did. Not even Kakashi, who was a veteran by their standards.

"You guys are friends, huh?"

Sakura glanced over her shoulder at Shisui suddenly, somehow shocked by his question...though she quickly realized she was more shocked at herself for not knowing how to answer him.

"...Uhm... Well... No."

Shisui arched a brow at her.

"Well...yyyyyy—no. Not really. Kinda."

He stared.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" He would have cracked an amused smile if he weren't too busy trying to figure out why she was so confused. It was a simple enough question, wasn't it? How could she not even know if they were friends?

"If he said something like that to you...you're probably friends." Shisui insisted indifferently after a moment, though he was still choosing to mask the extent of his curiosity behind his bloodshot eyes. Something about her nagged at him...like there was something she was hiding from the world, and he wanted to find out what it was, because it was bound to be interesting.

"Really? What makes you think that?"

"Because I know him. We've had a similar conversation, actually. And he doesn't dive into a topic like that out of the blue, and with someone he isn't familiar with." His sleepy gaze met hers as she stared quietly at him, torn between surprise and nervousness. Somehow, she felt as if she had spoken more than she should have, and now she wasn't sure what to do. Was she just being paranoid? Hm...probably.

Eventually, she turned her head back around, if only to avoid the look he was giving her. There was nothing wrong with that look. All he was doing was half-laying in his chair, giving her his attention. And yet, somehow he had drilled into her with that same uneasy feeling she remembered getting whenever Itachi had looked at her. Like he could see right through her, regardless of what she said or did, down to her very soul. Was it an Uchiha thing? Did their kekkei genkai work in some creepy way even without their sharingan activated? It wasn't the first time this thought crossed her mind...

"Well...I guess we're...friends then." Admitting slowly, her hand lifted and clung to the small bag over her shoulder as she backed away from the bed. It was time to go.

"I'll leave you guys alone now... I have to get ready for my shift anyway." Sakura mumbled as she moved to retrieve the other bag she had left there before, and walked towards the door. A skeptical glance shot his way as her hand fell on the handle, and she found him staring at her still, a smile returning to his face. The creepy, knowing kind of smile. She huffed audibly, eyes narrowing as the door slid open. "Don't stay in here too long. You need your rest, remember..."

"Yes, ma'am." Shisui saluted her mockingly, a glint of teeth flashing her way in a grin, and she darted out of the room hurriedly with a snort. He would let her go, for now...but there was still something pulling at the back of his mind. So many little hints peppered into her actions and explanations, and even in the way she looked at him. Hopefully he would run into her again, and get another chance to pick at her brain discreetly enough that she wouldn't realize what he was doing. For now, he was just going to sit and reflect on the events that had lead him here, and try to get it through his skull that Itachi was actually alive...right in front of him...

"Sakura! You didn't punch in yet did you?" A voice called down the hall as one of the nurses came trotting up behind her. She turned on cue, clinging to the few shreds of patience she had left as she stared at the other girl in confusion. The door to the locker room was not ten paces behind her, and already she was being hounded. This was such a long day already, and she was starting to fear it would never be over.

"No...I was just on my way. Why?" She asked, biting back a sigh. In the very least, she could be grateful that she'd been able to change into her uniform in peace and quiet. Too bad that peace and quiet didn't last more than a few terribly short minutes.

"Good! Tsunade wants to see you." The girl stopped in the middle of the walkway, and almost looked to be a little winded. Had she been scouring the halls for her, or something? Geeze.

"Oh.. Uhhhh...alright. I'll head over" Sakura swallowed, her irritation and confusion replaced with concern at this news. Why in the world would Tsunade need to see her now? It couldn't wait until her shift was over? A hospital short-staffed with medics was never a good thing. A curt and grumpy, sleep-deprived medic was still better than no medic. But, who was she to question their Hokage...

The girl nodded, before turning back the way she came, leaving Sakura to stare down at the floor for a moment. Something about this made her uneasy, and she wasn't sure why. Was she in trouble? Or maybe she was being given a special mission. Those were always fun and challenging. She could only hope it was the latter.

She didn't bother changing out of her uniform before heading to the office, as she had literally just put the darn thing on. She'd be heading straight back to the hospital anyway, so what's the use? Her journey didn't take long, and soon enough she was being ushered into the room by Shizune, who greeted her with a somewhat apologetic smile. That did nothing to calm Sakura's suspicions, though maybe she was reading into it too much.

Sitting behind the grand desk with an array of papers and scrolls, her Hokage glanced up from a rather large book in front of her. An all-too-serious expression met Sakura's mildly timid one, though she was trying her hardest to appear calm. She noted the small white bottle with a tiny cup next to it, a thin waft of steam rising from the top. Sake? At this hour? The sun was still high in the sky!

"Sakura. Come in." Ordering bluntly, Tsunade returned to scan the page of her book as she stepped up to the desk and stood quietly. She couldn't help but to glance repeatedly at the bottle as she waited to be addressed. Was this some sort of foreshadowing for an unpleasant discussion in her near future? Dear Kami, she hoped not.

"Isn't it a little too early to be drinking?" A small voice peeped hesitantly, as if she half-expected an explosive reaction. Tsunade snapped her book closed immediately, causing Sakura to jump lightly and gaze down at her skeptically. "Sakura, it's never too early for sake. You'll understand why, if you ever become a Hokage." The older woman muttered bitterly, peering at her rigid figure with a sharp eye.

"Heh...ok!" Sakura forced a smile quickly, and tried not to fidget. Tsunade gave her uniform a once-over, and then sighed heavily as she hunched forward and put her elbows on the desk, nearly knocking her own cup over with the generous swell of cleavage she was known for.

"I heard you had quite the eventful night. Care to explain what happened?" She began, cutting straight to the point.

Yep. This was exactly what she had been dreading, and there was absolutely no way to weasel out of this conversation. Sakura's shoulders slumped a little, resigning to her fate. This wasn't going to end well for her, she just knew it.

"Right... Well, uhm... Uchiha Itachi was admitted to the hospital at about midnight. I passed them in the hall when they were wheeling him to the ICU, and uh...when I recognized him, I ran after them to help."

"After you shift ended."

Sakura nodded.

"In the ICU."

Sakura nodded again.

"And what did you do in the ICU?"

She paused for a second, trying to get a feel as to what direction this interrogation was going to go. The stern gaze of her mentor wasn't something she could decipher. All she knew was that she felt a little uncomfortable at the tone of voice she was using.

"He was dead on arrival, so I attempted to revive him. He had extensive internal injuries, and the first thing I did was drain the blood from his lungs."

"You inserted catheters into his lungs."

Sakura nodded.

"Who was the senior medic?"

She was quiet for a moment, wracking her brain as she tried to remember everyone else that was in the room with her. Looking back now, so much of it was a blur.

"I...I don't know."

"But it wasn't you."

She nodded slowly, a touch of guilt hitting her gut.

"Did you bark orders at everyone, and refuse to listen to their instructions?"

For the first time, Sakura's eyes narrowed slightly, and the scrap of guilt she had felt expanded into indignation. A faint flush of red found her cheeks.

"Yes, I refused to listen to their instructions when they told me to give up. They stood there like there was nothing they could do, but there was. They just didn't believe it was possible to bring him back to life, because too much time had passed, so they quit trying." Her words were calmly spoken, yet the intensity of her expression wasn't something she tried to hide as her jaw clenched.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed right back at her, and she fired gruffly. "Sakura, you're not assigned to the ICU. You don't have clearance to insert catheters into a man's lungs without guidance, whether that man is dead or alive. And above all, your job is to take orders from your superiors, not give them. You're not experienced enough, and your lack of training is apparent in your inability to keep your emotions under control when—"

"—He was DEAD!" Sakura nearly yelled. "He was dead and no one wanted to save him! They wanted to pull a sheet over his head and leave him to rot! I saved his life! I brought him back—"

"—your inability to keep your emotions under control—" Tsunade repeated herself with thick emphasis, only to be cut off again.

"—You would have done the same for Dan!" She snapped loudly.

The office fell quiet. Instantly, Sakura's eyes widened, and her heart thundered into a racing rhythm. She should not have said that... The boundary had been crossed the moment she had raised her voice, and she knew that, but she definitely should not have gone so far as to say that. She wanted to throw up. But all she could do in the aftermath of her outburst was stand there quietly, and let the heated color drain from her face.

Slowly, Tsunade straightened in her chair, elbows slipping off the table as she regarded Sakura in new-found awe, some of which was bad, and some of which was good. In the seconds that passed through the stifling silence, she realized that this was the first time her apprentice had ever talked back to her...and there was more than a little passion in her persistence. However, she had indeed stepped over a very fine and volatile line.

"Are you in love with him?" The question drifted curiously over to Sakura, who had been expecting a much different reaction, and was therefore blindsided for a moment. It hit her like a ton of bricks.

"No!" She blurted frantically, scrambling on the defense as her heart found a way to beat even faster. "I just—"

WHAM!

Sakura jumped and stared fearfully at the clenched fist that had slammed down onto the desk. Tsunade had lurched up from her chair faster than she could blink, sending it toppling on its side behind her. The Hokage was oblivious to the long crack that etched through the wood, trailing from her hand as she glared dangerously at the young girl.

That was the reaction she had been expecting.

"Then don't you dare compare him to Dan." She seethed in a low, menacing voice, and Sakura immediately looked down and took a step backwards, shying away from the piercing eyes of her mentor. Never had she seen such an intense expression before, as if she were ready to leap over or smash through the desk like it was a fragile tower of toothpicks and slap her through the very wall.

"I'm sorry... I... Forgive me. I shouldn't have said that. It was wrong." She bowed her head, a surge of guilt returning to swirl uneasily with the anger that still poisoned her judgment. Yet somehow, she managed to feel some of that guilt stemming from the answer she had given her, when she had said 'No!'...and that, made things so much more complex suddenly.

The room was quiet again for a time as Tsunade battled with her own wave of emotions, trying not to unleash them on Sakura, for surely the poor girl wouldn't survive if she did. Her amber eyes closed tightly, a scowl on her face as she breathed heavily.

"If you don't love him, then why did you try to revive him for so long? You've never done that before." She asked with a forced calm, though refusing to sit back down in her chair just yet.

Sakura swallowed, keeping her head down in shame. "I would have done the same for Naruto or Sasuke..." She murmured gently. "I... I just... I guess I care about him, too." It was painful to admit, though she truly didn't know why, and she heard a sigh fall across from her.

Slowly, Tsunade fixed the chair upright and sat down. Her eyes reopened to stare at the head of pink that bowed in front of her. "You should feel proud, Sakura."

Curious green eyes glanced up warily, as though she didn't quite understand what she had said. Proud? Really? If she should feel proud, why was she getting reprimanded like this? Now she was really lost.

"You revived a corpse deprived of oxygen for over ten minutes, and he's no even in a coma. Very few medics have ever pulled that off."

Sakura blinked, but remained speechless as she listened and tried to digest the sudden change in atmosphere.

"...But if you ever step out of line at the hospital like that again, and if you ever speak to me the way you did just now, you will be cleaning bedpans for a year, if I'm feeling generous...do you understand?"

Sakura nodded slowly and straightened herself, though she trained her eyes aimed down at the desk between them.

"Go home."

Startled, she looked up questioningly. "Go...home? But, I have a shift at the hospital until nine!"

"Your shift has been covered. Take the day off and get some rest."

"Oh... Ok." For some reason, she was in utter shock. Turning on her heels, she moved for the door without sound, stopping only when she heard her name called behind her.

"Sakura..."

She glanced over her shoulder.

"You should feel proud." Tsunade was still staring at her intently, sending her overworked brain into a tumble as she tried to figure out how she could be made to feel like crap one minute, and then receive a verbal pat on the back the next. She wasn't going to stir the pot though. She'd done that enough already. With one last nod, Sakura made her exit quietly, hiding a small smile as she turned and slipped out the door.

As she wandered down the hall, lost in thought with that quirky smile lingering, she almost missed the man that passed, heading in the opposite direction. Looking up at the last second, she nearly tripped over her own feet when Fugaku nodded in wordless greeting at her, before slipping by and entering the door to the office she had just left. Sakura turned around and stared in wonder. What in the world was he doing here? Had he been summoned as well, or was something else going on?

The empty hall wasn't about to answer her, though. Eventually, she turned again and began her slow journey home. Once she dropped by the hospital to pick up her bags, she would be able to dive into her bed...and that's really all she was capable of focusing on anymore. Sleep. Just beautiful, revitalizing, desperately needed sleep. Any chaos or drama that lurked in her future would have to wait until she was caught up on zzz's.


	5. The Things I Do For You

Four days had passed. Four long, sluggish, and exhausting days. They usually flew by for her, but ever since that night, things had changed. When she wasn't patching up patients, studying, training, or catching a wink of sleep, there were only two topics that ever crossed her mind—tormented, rather. Itachi and Sasuke. Topics that were draining the life out of her, and making her already busy days almost more than she could bare. Itachi wasn't awake yet. Each hour that passed without a stir from him made her increasingly nervous and worried. He was healing well, but it seemed the trauma he was put through did a number on him. Four days, though. Four days of sleep was a long time, especially for someone like him. Or was she expecting too much? He was a talented shinobi, but he was human, after all. He had been through more than she could ever imagine.

And Sasuke, gah... Sakura actually missed the days where she was the one searching for him, waiting for him. Right now, she was doing her damnedest to stay out of sight. Pretty hard when she regularly works in the hospital he frequents with his family. She didn't know what to say to him yet. More than anything, she was hoping he would forget about everything, and things would go back to normal soon...but she just couldn't bring herself to face him. The thought of him questioning her yukata put all the wrong kind of butterflies in her stomach. Maybe he would never bring it up. Maybe he didn't care, or maybe he was too clueless to put the pieces together. But what if he did bring it up? It sounded like such a small issue, but it was causing her such a huge problem.

"Stupid..." Came the mutter under her breath, with quick, soft steps ushering her down the clean hall. The events of that night played in her head over and over again, like a broken record that was slowly driving her mad. She barely batted an eye after Tsunade had grilled her, when she could have potentially lost her job, and her valued position as their Godaime's apprentice, and yet she couldn't let go of her anxiety over Sasuke and that damn yukata. There were a million other things in the world more important than that, more productive than that, that she could be spending her brain-power on. She knew that...but she just couldn't let it go. It held her heart in a vice and squeezed it a little more every time she thought about it. If she hadn't felt so much guilt, it wouldn't be a problem in the first place, but it was slowly eating away at her.

"It's not the end of the world... Stop acting like an insecure little kid. You have much better things to worry about." She continued chiding herself as she moved. Trying to give herself some peace of mind, and still failing. The regrettable fact of the matter was that she was never going to feel any peace, until she did face Sasuke again. Either the topic would come up, and they would get it out of the way, or he would choose to never speak of it, and everything would fine. Deep down, she knew that, too.

"But you still avoid him." Whispering as she stared miserably at the time-clock. Her day was over. For once, she worked an early shift. The sun was lingering high in the sky, and she had the rest of day to herself. It was a nice change. Too bad she found it impossible to enjoy right now.

As she started down the hall that would lead her to the warm afternoon breeze, and the endless possibilities presented with it, she found herself slowing down. Heavy eyes cast a gloomy stare into the floor at her feet, and she stopped. Eight hours ago, Itachi was still asleep. Maybe she should check again... Nah. Nothing had changed. She should just wait for the news to reach her. Eventually it would.

A few more paces down the hall, and she stopped again with a sigh. It wasn't going to quit nagging at her. She had to at least poke her head in the room before she left. No harm in checking. She just wouldn't get her hopes up this time, unlike all the others before. A watched pot never boils, as they say, but she couldn't help it. Or...er...he wasn't a pot of water...but...mmm whatever. Same thing. Things just always seem to happen after you stop expecting them to, neh?

Reaching his door, her pulse quickened a little as her fingers touched the handle. The lights were off inside. She knew what that meant. Or, she thought she knew. Hey, maybe he was up, but none of the nurses had checked on him in a while, so that's why it was dark. The door opened slowly, shining a sliver of light onto the occupied bed as she peaked inside. It was cool and quiet, with only the soft hums and beeps of equipment keeping him healthy, and healing at a steady rate. Opening the door wider, she slipped into the room and crept up to the bed. With eyes just as heavy as before, she looked down at the peaceful, sleeping face below. Just as she feared, unfortunately. Well...at least he didn't need an oxygen mask anymore, but there was a nasogastric feeding tube running through his nose and down into his stomach. Little else you could do when you had no idea when a patient was going to wake up again.

"You can't sleep forever." She mumbled sadly as she watched him. Then it occurred to her. What would she do if he was awake? What would she say to him? 'Hi'? 'Remember me'? No, really... What did she actually have to say? A pang of embarrassment hit her. She felt silly. Chances are, if he were to open his eyes right now and look up at her, she would be at a complete loss for words. Realistically speaking, they had met once, and only once. That day had...well...it had been a very, very strange day. In all honesty, she still didn't know how to feel about what happened between them. It might help if she knew what he felt, but...a self-doubting and pessimistic part of her believed he didn't really feel anything. What if he didn't even remember at all?

"Oh thank goodness, Sakura!"

She jumped and spun around, startled at the sudden loud voice behind her. One of the nurse assistants was standing in the doorway with a face that was almost as tired and distraught as her own. Sakura stared at her a moment, confused. "Uhm...yeah?"

"You can bathe him! I just went to grab some towels, here!" A look of shock and dread clashed with the assistant as the stack of soft cloth was shoved into her hands. Sakura blinked and sputtered furiously. "...W-What? WHAT! No, I can't—"

"Pleeaase, Sakura? We've had two call-offs today and my patient next door is refusing to eat again and I haven't taken a break and I have to fish my other patient's dentures out of the toilet—"

"I don't even work in—no, he's not my patient! I can't! I just clocked out anyway—"

"PLEASE? You're in here almost every day! He's your friend, right? He hasn't had a bath in three days! He's not even awake, come on..." The girl pleaded with her desperately, and the look in her eyes caused Sakura to sigh in an incredibly uncomfortable defeat. It was unprofessional of her, without a doubt, but she could sympathize. She'd been in her shoes several times before. Understaffed with too many patients to care for, and unable to give everyone the attention they deserved, and needed.

"But... I..." Sakura whimpered pitifully, shoulders slumping. She felt guilty trying to argue with the girl, but she really shouldn't be the one to substitute her tasks for a number of reasons. Morally...it was probably the right thing to do, though. The wince on her face and tone of her voice was more than enough for the assistant to press on, and she pointed to the sink next to his bed. "I already got the soap and basin. Thank you so much, I owe you one!" With that, she skittered out of the room and closed the door behind her before her superior could come to her senses and outright refuse.

Sakure stood in the blanket of darkness, staring into space as a light tingle went down her spine. Cautiously, she glanced over her shoulder at Itachi. Oh man... What if his family showed up in the middle of this? Considering the kind of luck she was having lately, that wasn't out of the question.

Exhaling loudly, Sakura turned and moved in front of the sink to stare down in reluctance at the supplies left out, as if they were something much more revolting than they actually were. Glancing again to the sleeping Uchiha a few feet away, she swallowed with difficulty.

"I can't do this... I shouldn't be doing this..." She murmured nervously to herself, only for a stubborn and intrusive thought to retaliate with, Why not? You've already seen him naked.

Closing her eyes and furrowing her brows, she groaned and leaned forward to thump her elbows onto the counter and grip her fingers into her hair. Three days was a long time to go without a bath, even for someone that wasn't doing anything but lying in bed. And he was unconscious, after all. No one was around.

Her hands rubbed back down over her face, and she peaked through her fingers. "...Fine..."

This would be quick. In and out. Then she could go on with her day like it never happened, and no one would speak of it! No one would know! Right? Too bad the door didn't have a lock.

"It's just a bath." She muttered encouragingly, and twisted the faucet handle a little harder than she meant to. Filling the basin, she spared some more fleeting glances at Itachi, her heart fluttering in distress. The water filled faster than she wanted it to, offering her little time to procrastinate. Leaving it to steam on a rolling tray, with a small wash cloth floating inside, she moved to the bed and pulled the blankets down carefully to settle over his hips. The plain shirt he wore unsnapped easily at the back of his neck and down his shoulders, and she wadded up the thin, oversized garment and tossed it aside.

The chest tubes were long gone, but a layer of splinted bandages was patched around almost the entire length of his torso, covering the multiple stitches and helping to cushion his mending ribs and sternum. A pinch of sadness found her, despite knowing he was only getting better with each day that passed. It bothered her to see him in this state. She would probably never know him as well as Sasuke or Shisui did, but she regarded him on the level of Kakashi. To see someone so formidable lying in a hospital bed, battered and helpless, was very discomforting.

She removed the splint and peeled off the padding beneath, revealing the blotchy, discolored skin below that would take many more days to return to its normal hue as the bruises faded. Cleaning him was going to take longer than she originally thought, now that she got a good look at him. She hadn't taken into account the types of injuries he had. She would have to be careful moving him around, but at least there were no open wounds to deal with now. Her eyes passed from the myriad of healing tissue to the peaceful face above. Much less beat up than the rest of him, though not unscathed. He seemed so content, somehow. Angelic even, as he laid there in the aftermath of death and destruction he escaped days ago. His skin was paler now. Almost as pale as Sasuke's. And his long hair so dark...

Sakura reeled herself back into focus. She couldn't get distracted by these things. She needed to just do her job, and get out...even if this wasn't technically her job. A nervous glanced met the closed door behind her, and she snorted through her nose. "You better not open." Worst case scenario, Sasuke would come barging in without warning, while she was in the process of pulling down his unconscious brother's pants. Yeah, that would fare well, wouldn't it? And it was such a ghastly notion, that she refused to entertain it for more than fleeting second. Too horrible. It couldn't happen. It wouldn't. As long as she kept telling herself that, hopefully it would hold true.

Making quick work of the rest of the bandages on his arms, a glance over him convinced her that he wouldn't need their protection for much longer. Just as well, it would be better for his skin if they weren't there longer than need-be. The pile of towels was laid out under each arm, and rolled up along his bare sides to keep the mattress from getting wet as she tended to his front. The best way to bathe someone that was confined to a bed, unfortunately. The lower half of his body would require the same care, but she was postponing that for now. The thought of undressing him completely made it difficult for her to swallow, and she wanted to avoid it as long as possible. It had to be done, though. Embarrassing as it was, it was a necessary part of keeping your patient healthy.

"And he's not even my patient." She grumbled to herself as she pulled the tray over to the bed, wrung out the soapy cloth, and began cleaning him gently, though thoroughly. This was her karma. She claimed him as her responsibility the moment he was wheeled into the hospital, and then stayed with him in his room for the rest of the night. Of course this would happen to her now. It would be worth it in the end, though. His life was much more important than her comfort level.

As she moved up his arms one at a time, and started down his chest, a light blush colored her cheeks. Even now, with the state he was in, it was impossible to inspect him from an entirely medical standpoint. Mildly infuriating, even with no one around to witness her personal struggle. Flashes of inappropriate thoughts disrupted her attention, while she tried so hard to evade them, and her gaze narrowed in wavering concentration. He wasn't a a very big guy. Taller than her, sure, but not someone you would expect to be impressively strong or intimidating, just by appearances alone. The evidence to the contrary was there, nonetheless. Her fingers found plenty of it with every stroke as the wet cloth slipped over lean, toned muscles without an ounce of fat.

To keep herself on track, she chose to stare at the healing wounds as she moved down his stomach, lower and lower, occasionally dipping the cloth back in the hot water. He had nice abs too...she could even see individual dips between each—

A loud sigh puffed through her nose, and she forced her eyes closed for a moment. "This is ridiculous. You can't seriously sit here and ogle an unconscious man's body. It's wrong!" Hissing to herself, her eyes snapped open once more, and she leaned down closer to him. Like a determined artist strategically placing each painted stroke on an easel Nothing would get in her way. Not the warmth that radiated off him, nor the steady rise and fall of his breaths, nor the...whoa. He had V muscles. The diagonal lines angling down his pelvis and disappearing below the blanket. When did he get those? Were they always there? Good gravy, those were s—

"Haaaaah!" Sakura wailed in frustration, straightening her back as her face flew up and away from his hips. Keeping pure thoughts was much easier said than done, and her expression was quickly wrinkling into a scowl. The good news was, she was done washing his torso. No more pesky—delicious—muscles to distract her. But...was that really the good news?

Her attention flickered down to the edge of the blanket that covered his hips and legs, and she grew still. Did...did she really have to do that? Couldn't someone else do it? Someone that didn't know him personally? Someone that had never...

A wave of heat traveled under her collar as those inappropriate thoughts returned. Memories that felt like they had only happened yesterday. Salty skin, dripping with sweat. Soft lips claiming hers, and fluttering down her neck. Being lifted from a hard tatami mat and thrust against a wall. There was no use... This wasn't going to stop. She couldn't control her own thoughts anymore. She needed to hurry up and get the hell out of there.

"Fast. Don't even look. Just move." Whispering into the dark—wait, why had she never turned the light on? Gah, it didn't matter now!—she pulled the blankets down to the foot of the bed, and forced herself to hastily untie the drawstrings to his pants, and pull them down and off as well. Left to flop quietly onto the cold floor, so she could place the rest of the towels under his legs, all while refusing to look down. There he was, stark naked in all his glory, and she was staring at the wall above his head, petrified while a hand blindly searched the hot water for the cloth she had dumped back into the basin. A second or two of floundering around and she found it, squeezed it, and started at the top of his hip, where the contour of that sinful pelvic muscle teased her, to work down his thigh. The texture changed suddenly, and Sakura's face dropped. Instantly realizing she forgot to remove the rest of the bandages. Great.

Don't look at it... Don't look at it... Her gaze averted to the patches of white taped to his legs in various places, trying so hard to behave and not wander where it shouldn't. Although, it was mandatory to clean that too, but there was no way... She couldn't. Really though, that's where she drew the line. One of the nurse assistants would have to do it later. Of all the things—

And then it happened. She dropped her guard for a second, and her rebellious gaze shifted of its own accord to the dark patch between his legs, and the flaccid member resting against it. Harmless, docile, sleeping like the rest of him, and yet it sent a showering of sparks inside her that made her belly feel strange and warm, and her legs twitch involuntarily.

"Kami, I'm a pervert!" She whined pathetically, defeated. Feeling more than a little sick at her inability to remain professional, she was truly fed up. This never happened. She was never the pervert. That was Naruto's job, or Jiraiya's job. Not Sakura's!

Her hands moved at an even quicker pace then, wanting nothing more than to be done with his legs so she could roll him onto his side and take care of his back. The worst part was almost over, and no one had burst into the room! Everything was going to be ok.

With a light splash, the cloth was dropped into the basin once more. She could start drying him off now. Taking another towel from the dwindling stack on the counter, she patted down his arms and chest, keeping her vision unfocused purposely as she moved. Paying attention to nothing but the soft towel in her hands that soaked up whatever moisture had yet to evaporate. When she passed down his hips, an abrupt jerk about startled her out of her own skin, and caused her to freeze. Vision sharpening, she stared down at the crumpled mound of white that had paused directly over his lap, concealing the object beneath that made her blush so furiously, and then trailed fearfully up the length of his chest to his face. Just as before, he was resting peacefully. Features devoid of emotion, eyes closed. But he had moved...definitely moved... A simple muscle twitch, perhaps. Those weren't that uncommon. Especially when you were working around those areas.

After a pause, she cleared her throat and proceeded down his legs, waiting to see if it would happen again. Patting him down a bit more slowly now, from his thighs to his feet.

Nothing.

Sighing softly in relief, she set the towel aside, and leaned over him to retrieve the others she laid out beneath and against him. And that's when she felt something brush up her hip and along her stomach as she reached across. Sakura yelped in surprise, a sharp chill darting along her spine at the feathery sensation. Jumping back from the bed, she stared wide-eyed at the hand that hovered curiously in the air in front of her, as if searching for something.

He...he was moving?

Her mouth hung open in awe, but it quickly melted into panic Was he waking up? He couldn't wake up now! Why not fifteen minutes ago? Or fifteen minutes later?! Not now!

"Itachi...?" The name fell meekly from her as she watched his serene face for any sign of recognition. His eyes were still closed, but after a second of lying motionless, the hovering hand whipped to the side and sent the basin flying off the tray in a loud clatter as water splashed all over the sink and cabinets. Sakura jumped again, and rushed forward as she saw him snatch at the feeding tube that was secured to his face.

"Itachi, no!" Her small frame descended on his arm and clutched to it with a death grip before he could rip the tube out of his nose. Then, his eyes flew open and locked onto her. Black pits that shrouded his true thoughts and intentions as he seemed to stare through her. She stared right back in shock, losing her voice for a second as they merely watched one another at first. The arm she had latched onto would toss her off easily not a moment later, however. Stumbling backwards, she was more confused than ever. The bed creaked and shifted as he pushed himself up, despite the injuries he suffered, as if he could feel no pain. His hand moved again with swift determination, this time aiming clumsily for an IV in his arm as his eyes scanned with a ghostly vacancy his own bare body.

Sakura lurched onto him again, aiming to pin him down to the bed to keep him still. He was disoriented. This was typical for patients rousing from a coma, or some other severe injury that knocked them out for a while. They would wake up in the hospital and have no idea where they were, or what was going on, and act irrationally. It had taken a second for her to come to her senses, but she remembered now. She had to stop him from inflicting any damage to himself, which was far too easy to do in his condition.

"Stop, Itachi! You're in the hospital! Everything is—" A disgusting and painful gurgle finished her sentence as she suddenly lost the ability to speak, or even breathe, for that matter. The moment she had landed on him, his fingers clamped down on her throat with a swiftness she hadn't anticipated. The room spun, and a rush of air passed her before a hard, wooden floor slammed into her back. He crashed down on top of her, pulling an array of towels and loose bedsheets with him. One of the IV's snapped out of an arm. A blind panic filled her as her brain struggled to decided, within a split second, how she was going to defend herself without a counterattack. He was out of his mind. She was deprived of oxygen, and distinctly felt the cartilage in her neck shifting. He was a hell of a lot stronger and faster than she thought he would be, but she was still afraid of hurting him. And if she did, there was a healthy possibility that she would only anger him, and he would end up putting her in a hospital bed. Like poking a grizzly bear with a stick, it was only going to get your face ripped off that much sooner. Wounded or not, he was still more skilled than she, and one badass Uchiha at that.

The only trace of emotion he conveyed was a faint confusion and agitation, but it was starting to scare her. Naked and physically pinning her to the floor under his weight, tangled in all sorts of fabric, he was staring down at her as if he had no idea who she was. Thick pulse beating through her cheeks, she was more than blushing now, and it had nothing to do with petty embarassment. The circulation to her head was almost cut off completely, and tiny, erratic sparkles of light were already dancing in the corners of her vision. One hand gripped into his wrist, and her instincts quickly took the reigns before she could waste any more time thinking. A chakra-filled palm struck his gut, purposely below the worst of the damage he'd been inflicted with. Not violent enough to do any serious harm, but she was desperate for air, and unable the call for help. The remote to page the nurse's station for assistance was far out of her reach, as well. If she was lucky, someone would hear the ruckus they were causing, but they didn't have very much time to spare if things got...er, further out of hand.

He doubled over her from the blow, grunting more in surprise than pain as she knocked the wind out of him. Just as the flashing lights tripled, and began to obscure her image of him, she felt his hand release her neck. Gasping loudly, she sucked in as much air as her lungs could carry. Blessed, beautiful air. In that moment, it was better than rolling in a field of puppies and flowers, or stuffing her face with chocolate covered strawberries. Oh Kami, there could never be enough air! She coughed and choked, a fierce pounding taking over her skull from the sudden change in blood pressure.

"Itachi, it's ME! Sakura!" She had only enough time to look up into the new eyes that met her as he leaned back, now patterned that dangerous red and black no enemy ever wanted to be the target of, before something rock-hard smashed into the side of her head, and she knew nothing but darkness.


	6. My Poison, My Antidote

The irritating itch in her throat awoke her. Something metallic and sticky coated her, making her cough uncontrollably as she shifted to life, limbs finding themselves smoothing over a soft fabric all around her. The throbbing at her temple, cheek, and nose came next. Pulsing in a painful, swollen ache that made her face feel much bigger than it was supposed to. A barely audible groan drifted from her as she slowly came to her senses. She was some place quiet, dark, and warm. Was this a bed? Where was she...

Her blurry eyes cracked open and stared, disoriented, into the darkness. Dimly, she could see the outline of the light fixtures above her head, and a blank ceiling. She coughed again, and felt something thick bubbling up into her throat, nearly causing her to gag. With a frown, she forced herself to swallow the substance. Blood? Oh...that was definitely blood. She made the mistake of sniffing then, and felt the pain in her nose shoot up the bridge between her eyes, and felt the drying crimson crack over her mouth. But there was also something covering her. Something damp, soft, and warm, that kept the blood from hardening completely.

Another faint, miserable groan, and she tried to push herself upright to get her bearings. She didn't get very far before realizing what it was. Its shape and texture taking focus when she moved her head. A wet cloth was cradling her nose and mouth. Not so tightly that she couldn't breathe, just resting here. A hand that wasn't hers clutched it still, with a pale arm laying over her chest. Sakura's cloudy, unhappy thoughts quieted. Slowly turning her head to the side, she saw him there next to her. His skin nearly glowed as he laid there on his stomach, still nude. Itachi's face was turned to her, but his eyes were closed. Nestled up against her in his own hospital bed, she listened to his quiet, shallow breaths as they tickled over cheek. His NG tube was gone.

Now she remembered... The struggle to keep him calm that ended with her trapped beneath him on the hard floor, wet from the spilled basin. Looking up into those hollow, hypnotizing eyes, and then black. How much time had passed? Why did he lift her onto the bed?

Her hand reached for his, and gripped it gently to pull it from her face. As soon as she touched him, she heard him groan quietly, and shift next to her. She paused to watch him with his hand trapped in hers, hovering in the air. Where was she supposed to lay it? How could she slip out of his bed without disturbing him? And dear Kami, what exactly was she supposed to do next? Her thoughts began racing. If she was here next to him in this state, then no one had come into his room yet. Not much time had passed since she'd been knocked out. Either that, or the staff here was absolutely terrible when it came to caring for their patients, which she didn't imagine to be true. There had to be a way to remedy this without getting anyone involved...especially Tsunade. Oh no...anyone but Tsunade... She'd never hear the end of it.

Slowly, carefully, she slid away from him and towards the edge of the bed, which wasn't very far away, with the two of them crammed in there. A single, black eye opened and stared at her then, before she could manage to sit up or find a place to set his hand down. It blinked slowly at her, and then squeezed shut as he moved to stretch his legs and back gently with another groan. Sakura swallowed and watched him, suppressing a cough as the blood continued to seep down her throat in a thin rivulet.

"I'm sorry..." His voice mumbled softly, eye opening once more to look at her. She was silent. "I hit you..." Her eyes were sharper now as she traced over his face. Trying to gauge his state of mind, and unsure of how to react yet. He looked half asleep and groggy, but the vacancy in his gaze from earlier had disappeared. When he said nothing more, Sakura eased onto her side to get a better look at him, and lowered his hand, still holding the wet cloth, down onto the sheet between them.

"Itachi, where are we?" She asked quietly, but not for her own sake. She was studying him. Testing his memory and mood.

"We're...in the hospital." He mumbled again with effort, as if he was fighting to stay conscious. A small wave of relief washed through her. This was good news. It didn't sound like he had amnesia. He had just been confused and agitated when he first awoke. A highly unpleasant commotion for the both of them, but it was all over now, and no one had witnessed it.

Her lips parted to ask him another question, when his hand lifted to her face. With his eye falling shut, he touched her cheek lightly with his fingertips, sensing the steady pulse of the inflamed and bruised skin beneath. Motionless, she waited as they passed to her cheekbone, and his palm cupped her. The tickle of his thumb brushed over her lips, smearing a bit of the drying blood. She was at a loss... Now what did she do? Something in the back of her mind warned her that he wasn't quite...normal. Somehow, someway, even if he knew where he was, and knew who she was, he was a little bit...not there. Something to do with his medications, maybe. He had to be on a lot of them, especially for pain.

He felt her hand slip carefully over his, but her intentions were never known, as he moved once again. Slipping out from her grasp and smoothing up into her hairline to weave his fingers into the soft tresses. There were so many fragments of thoughts and emotions flitting through the fog of his mind. No amnesia, but so sluggish and confused. Parts of him ached, parts of him felt almost numb. He didn't know what time it was, what day it was, how long he had been there, but he remembered her. Who wouldn't remember that pale pink hair? He'd seen nothing like it before. It was...pretty. Pretty like a thousand raining petals, showering him in the briefest touches. A strange sensation tightened his chest suddenly. The flicker of a memory that made little sense to him, and was gone before he could understand what had happened. Sakura watched cautiously as his expression contorted into something that looked painful, or angry.

"Ahh..." She managed to barely whisper as he slid closed to her, and she felt a prickly heat rise within her as he nudged his face under her chin. Touching her throat with his nose and breathing her in. She meant to ask him what he was doing. To say something, anything, that would help her figure out what was going on, and what she should do or say next. She was a little blind-sided by everything. He had attacked her so swiftly and determinedly earlier, that she could acutely recall wondering if she was going to die, for a fleeting moment. Now here she was lying next to him in a bed, tense as he touched her curiously. The first time he had spoken to her in so many months...and this...so far this was making her brain hurt so much more than it already did.

"I'm sorry." He repeated, and the huff of his discontented sigh flooded her neck hotly. His fingers tightened their hold in her hair, and the tip of his nose trailed along her skin in a nuzzle. Sakura's hard and wide gaze had locked onto the wall over his shoulder. As much of a mind-fuck as this was, something about the events of late—all of them—and his actions now, were just as exciting as they were scary.. It made her heart want to explode in a million gushy pieces. And yet, at the same time, she wanted to scream and run away. Go hide herself in books, missions, her bed, anywhere but in the company of him, or anyone close to him. Her heart was beating faster as she laid in silence. Not for want of something to say...not because she felt nothing... It was like standing at the edge of a waterfall, and staring down into a million different rivers that twisted off into so many different directions. Which one was she supposed to plunge into, and where would they all lead her? How did she even begin to navigate...everything that had happened up to this point?

"It's okay." She reassured him meekly, and found her hand falling to the back of his head, petting down his long, dark hair in some strange embrace. "You were hurt really bad. You slept for a long time. It's not uncommon for..." The soft tones of her voice faded away, distracted by the hand that eased its hold on her hair, and smoothed over her ear and down the side of her neck, over the slope of her shoulder, and down below her arm to settle around her waist. His body pressed into her, and he turned onto his side and wedged a knee between hers.

"...it's not uncommon...for..." Her thoughts were derailing wildly, and her pulse beat into her eardrums.

"You were... You almost died." She cleared her throat, disrupting the blood that had finished draining, yet lingered persistently, and remained still. Almost afraid to move as her hands suddenly felt clammy.

"I know. You were there."

His reply startled her, and she blinked. No way. Could he have really remembered that much?

But he wasn't sure what was real, and what wasn't. He didn't know the details like she did. But he felt something he couldn't describe. It just...made sense. She had been there. She was with him the whole time, to the end of his world and back again, and then took care of him. He didn't know how, he just knew it as truth.

"I'm sorry." He repeated a third time.

"Itachi, you don't need to be sorry. Everything is fine." The soothing whisper made him stir, pulling away from her to look up into her eyes.

"No. Nothing is fine. I did things... I did things to you..." To her, he wasn't making any sense, and it didn't help that his speech was a little slow and slurred. Odd to see him act this way, when not long ago he was faster than she, and wasted no time in overpowering her. Adrenaline was a hell of a drug.

"What do you mean?" She asked, the skepticism melting into her tone as she studied him. All he did was punch her, really. It was nothing she couldn't handle. She was a shinobi, after all. She'd been hurt a thousand times before, and far worse than these measly welts, too. How fragile did he think she was? His concern was appreciated of course, but something just didn't seem right.

"I hurt you. I did things...I shouldn't have done. I don't know why. I'm sorry." The thin black brows in front of her were creased in some discomforting emotion she didn't understand, and she watched him with a blank shock. Were they even talking about the same thing? What was this? She wasn't so sure anymore.

"I'm fine, I promise. Here, let's...uhm...let's get you some clothes." Hands nearly shaking as she shifted away from him, she meant to roll over and out of his bed, but he stopped her abruptly. The hand that had encircled her waist before maintained its hold, and when she went to remove it, he pulled her back towards him. Sitting up on one elbow, he rose above her slightly, and she paused beneath the eyes that now stared down at her as she laid on her back.

His hand slid up to cup her cheek again, and Sakura was paralyzed in wonder as he glanced over her face. Exploring her, despite the mask of exhaustion that deepened the creases trailing from his eyes. The white cloth came into view, and he pressed it to her mouth. Wiping the rest of the blood away carefully while he scrutinized her. It was impossible for her muscles to relax, and she waited rigidly in anticipation. He was acting so strange, yet...it was sweet. Gah, what was he doing?! What was she doing?! This was weird!

"I...I think you're a little confused. It'll be alright, it's just...you've been through a lot, and I know they're giving you medication. Let me—" A faint, fearful moan finished her sentence when he leaned down without warning. The wet cloth, now stained a dark rust from her blood, was replaced with his lips. Breath hitching in her throat, she forgot how to breathe when he gently claimed her bottom lip between his. Yet, even with the panic, and all the disorientation that was tangled between them, Sakura found her own lips moving without her permission. A heavy sigh flushed through her puffy nose, as if she had been restraining it for minutes now, and his chest immediately descended onto hers.

She was sweating. She barely moved at all since she woke up, but her skin felt cold, her insides felt hot, and a light stickiness coated her almost everywhere. His speed quickened, the slow kiss he had met her with growing intense, hungry, and she squeaked when his tongue plunged into her. Warm and oddly comforting, her tasted her greedily, careless of the traces of copper he found within.

And then it was over. A surge of willpower forced her to tear her head to the side and gasp for air, mind ready to explode. "Itachi, I have to go. I'm going to get you new clothes, and fix your bed, and then I'm leaving." Her voice was hushed, but rushed and panicky. His forehead rested on her uninjured temple, and his hands traveled over her persistently. Touching her arms, her waist, her hips, moving over her soft belly. Testing her ability to remain still, and not writhe against him wantonly.

"Petals." He breathed into her ear, and she froze. Images of him sprawled lifeless on a table, covered in blood and tattered rags, broken bones. The memory came to her instantly. She recognized it, but she didn't know what he meant when he said it.

Yes...he was definitely confused. He needed to settle down and go back to sleep before something crazy happened.

Saying nothing, she made a stronger effort than before to move out from under him, and to the safety of the open room.

"No." The command made her pause again, voice rising louder than it ever had, and Sakura clenched her fingers into his upper arms. Unsure of whether to try and push him off, or simply brace him a little to put some much-needed space between them.

"I need you to forgive me. Please..."

Head turning, she gazed up at him in awe. Why didn't he understand that there was nothing to forgive? Unless she was missing something important, they seemed to be on completely different levels here.

There were so many different things he was thinking and feeling. Unfortunately, they were all so jumbled. She had no way of knowing, but his actions, his speech, and his thoughts were all separate and contradictory impulses. He wanted her to stay. He wanted to touch her. He wanted to sleep next to her. He did want her to forgive him for the things he'd done...and for things he thought he was going to do in the future...that he didn't know how to stop. Should he stop? Should he let her run away? Her urgency and fear were palpable. It brought him a pang of guilt, but something else too. His own urgency was twisting beneath the surface, breaking free every time he held her back, or held her down.

He needed her, for some reason. He didn't know why, but he needed her to stay...and yet a more sensible part of him was afraid of what would happen if she did.

This wasn't about hitting her. He was sorry for that, truly, but this had nothing to do with it. For the moment he regained his senses and took in her unconscious form below him on the cold, wet floor, and saw the trickle of blood seep from her nose, he recognized her...and he wondered why she wasn't wearing a certain yukata, with it's pretty blue and yellow flowers. It made no sense, but it gave him an instant sadness, and irritation. He wanted to see her in it, and he wanted to follow the sinfully low dip that angled sharply down her chest, and pull it slowly open to taste her skin...to feel her shake under him. Then the guilt came crashing down around him. Every detail of that day was kept locked away inside him, safe from everyone, including himself, for he chose not to reflect on it more than he had to. Until now...

Damnit, the guilt. It was a tidal wave as large as the barely restrained desire he stewed in. He had hurt her, indeed. Of that much he was convinced. He had done terrible things to her...and it had felt so good. Much more than it ever should have.

And then she saved his life.

He didn't know how he knew, but he did. He felt the truth as easily as he felt her own wildly beating heart, causing the fabric of her uniform to vibrate endlessly on her chest below him.

She needed to get away from him.

So then...why were his own hands gripping into her arms as firmly as hers gripped into his, keeping her beneath him? Why couldn't he let go?

"I forgive you." She caved in a quiet whisper, and he could see the thoughts churning within her. She was telling him what he wanted to hear, in hopes that he would calm down and let her slip away. It was smart. But it didn't change anything... In fact, his chest quickly tightened even more, and he clenched his jaw as he stared down at her. So tired, and so confused, yes...but he couldn't stop. These impulses spiraled him out of control, and he didn't even know where they were coming from.

The tension was thick, yet his gaze softened some. Sakura let a brief hint of relief tease her, as his lips did not return to kiss her, but it was short-lived. She gasped when she felt a hand release her arm, and bury itself below the hem of her shirt. His palm tickled up her bare waist and caressed her, exploring the sharp jut of her hip bone, he shallow dip of her belly, and the faint outline of ribs above, mouth dipping to kiss her neck.

"No, no, no..." He heard her chant quietly, and the stillness erupted when she suddenly found the strength to shove him off her chest.

"You can't, Itachi. Please, this is wrong. You don't know what you're doing." She was pleading with him, keeping her voice as calm and collected as possible, but it was starting to shake. He could hear it. All she wanted was for him to understand...to see the situation the way she did. Nothing about this was right. Her hands planted firmly on his chest to hold him up and away from her, though he was still paused inside her shirt.

"...I understand..." He murmured down at her, appearing almost drunk, and she exhaled loudly, trying to slow her own heart rate.

Her hands were clenched and pulled away from him, and mashed down into the bed on either side of her face. Alarmed, her eyes flickered back and forth between his searchingly. There was no use. She just couldn't decipher him. What was he thinking? Why was he doing these things? Nothing connected.

"But I can't stop." He breathed into her chest as he sank lower. A hand released hers to push her shirt up in one easy motion. Sakura gave a nervous cry, and tried to wiggle away from him, but he smothered his face between her breasts. Kissing her tenderly, lapping at her exposed flesh. Pulling at her bra, she felt the strap snap down her shoulder and shift to the side. His tongue laved over the small pink button, and she instantly arched into him with a gasp. His hips nudged their way between her legs, forcing them open, and prodded her with something hard against her inner thigh that left a damp spot.

Breaths ragged and skin flushed, she used a less than forgiving strength to throw him off of her completely. His side thumped into the bed next to her, and she wasted no time in flinging herself onto her own two feet, flat on the floor. Panting as she watched him from the edge of the bed, her hair was a bit of a mess, and her shirt was askew, with her bra strap hanging down her arm from under her short sleeve.

"I said no." She was gasping quietly, trying to catch her breath and settle down. He laid there for a moment, watching her without a sound. The way her chest heaved, and her fists clenched at her sides, and the pink stained her cheeks...one might think he was taking a step back to reconsider what he was doing. In fact, he only found her all the more intoxicating. The sensitive bud he had tormented with his mouth poked against the concealing fabric of her shirt, erect, and with a small wet patch from his saliva. The curve of her hip, creamy and smooth, teased him as it peaked from the bunched up shirt that hadn't fallen all the way back down yet. The pants she was wearing were loose and looked easy to move in. Comfortable for a job like hers. But they concealed everything he wanted to see. There wasn't enough of her. So much fabric, not enough skin. His clouded mind couldn't get past why she was wearing so much. It annoyed him.

"I'm sorry, Itachi. I have to go..." And why was she apologizing to him? Not a clue. For some unexplained reason, she was feeling guilty now. Her fists relaxed, and she ran her clammy hands over her sore face, trying to digest the things he had said and done.

She was afraid, but not just of him, of herself. Every time he touched her, no matter how light or insignificant it was, it stirred something within. She didn't want him to stop. His hands alone made her light-headed, and damn did they feel good. But this was a hundred different shades of bad. He was drugged, and she knew it. She didn't know what he was on, but she had some ideas. He also just rejoined the world of the living after several days of slumber, and this was a hospital, of all places. No...she just needed to get out, and fast. This was not the time nor place. His family was probably dying to see him, too. She'd have to tell his nurse, so she could get a hold of them.

"I know." He sighed softly, to her surprise. He kept agreeing with her, and then doing the opposite. She didn't know what to make of him. She dropped her hands and looked at him curiously. Still a little cold, even with the blush on her cheeks. Still a little sweaty. And yet, she hadn't moved since she stood up. The room was still a mess, he still needed clothes, his IV would need to be replaced...so many things, and all she could so was watch him. His dark eyes that soaked her in under his lashes. The strands of hair that framed his face perfectly, falling to his jawline, while the rest hung lower freely for his chest and back. He was beautiful, even when he was so tired and out of it.

She felt herself melting from the inside, and the faintest whimper brought his attention back to her eyes. The look she was giving him was pleading and desperate. Her chest rose and fell in exaggeration, as if she were still having a hard time catching her breath. Why wasn't she doing something? Standing there and watching him was a big mistake, especially if she was going to bite her bottom lip and fidget like the way she was doing now.

His arm outstretched for her. No intent to leave his bed, he merely reached with a single hand, and waited patiently. Her eyes locked onto it, and she felt the butterflies scurry around inside her suddenly. What did he want...? Should she...

Against better judgment, and her insistence of putting space between them, Sakura observed her own hand drift toward him like a magnet. She didn't will it to move. It just...moved...and pulled the rest of her body with it. His fingers laced into hers, and tugged her to the edge of the bed, her knees knocking into the mattress.

"I have to go..." She whispered again, but who was she pleading with now? Him, or herself? And yet all she did was freeze as she saw him slide over to her. Pale legs hanging off the bed, he held her between them and released her hand so both of his could curl around her hips. She could say whatever she wanted, but her expression, her body, and the sounds she made told a different story. She wasn't going anywhere.

A shiver traveled her spine as his fingers slipped lower and behind her. Cupping the curve of her ass through her pants, and pulling her even closer to him, until there was nothing between the exposed strip of flesh below her belly button and his lips. The ruffled hem of her shirt rested at his forehead as he tickled his lips over her. Feeling the velvet of her skin, and listening to her shaky breaths fall quicker.

"What are you doing...what do you want from me...?" The questions weakly met his ears as she stood there, immobile. He didn't answer. They were questions she already knew the answers to. And if she didn't, all she had to do was wait. He would show her.

When his tongue touched her, she gasped. The soft swell of her belly clenched, as if trying to pull away from him, but he leaned into her and licked slowly. The shiver returned, darting through all of her limbs and up her torso, sweeping both her nipples into hard points, though only one was visible through the fabric, as her bra still hadn't been fixed.

He lapped again, this time low enough to nudge the top of her pants with his tongue. She couldn't move. Her own body felt light and impossibly tingly, and yet weighted with stone. All she could do was feel him. The tips of his fingers curled inward as they journeyed lower, meeting the very tops of the back of her thighs, and pressing into her. They gripped into her pants and pulled lightly, causing them to slip down just enough to give him more room to explore with his mouth. The hem stopped right at her hairline, and her hands came to life long enough to brace against his bare shoulders.

Nose nuzzling into her, he kissed, nipped, and licked at a tantalizingly slow pace. Savoring her. Feeling the dull vibration of her nervous energy shuddering in his grasp, and at his lips. Listening to her uneven breaths and sighs. She was so tense, and it excited him. As far as his warped mind was concerned, she was the only drug he was on.

"Sakura..." He exhaled a hot breath over the sensitive skin, and she looked down at him. Glancing anxiously over his face, and then spying the fully erect cock that stood proudly between his legs, so close to her. Throbbing steadily while he took his time touching her. A glisten of precum dribbling down. Her pulse returned so thickly, it reignited a sharp pain in her face, spreading from her temple, down her cheek and nose. For a moment, she thought her knees might give out, but she was locked into place.

"...I can smell you." He sighed heatedly, brushing his lips and nose lower, and burying his face into the juncture of her thighs, through her pants. She gave a fearful moan, and the hands holding onto his shoulders for support tightened their grip in desperation. There was a wet spot between her legs. She hadn't paid much attention to it, but now it was becoming too obvious to ignore. He moved slowly, pressing his face into her, and inhaled. His lips nudged into the soft mound, the source of her heady aroma, and then turned to nip at her high, inner thigh. His hands reemerged at the top of her pants and began pulling them further down, but before he could expose her to his pleasures, she lost her nerve.

"Itachi... Please, I can't take this anymore!" She was panting when she pushed herself away from him, but he kept his hands on her hips, looking up into her eyes with an expression that was eerily calm, yet alight with a hidden fire that smoldered dangerously close to the surface. How many times she was going to try to deny him, and fail, before giving in? He wasn't letting her go. She had her chance to leave earlier, and she messed up. He wasn't giving her a second...

"Let me taste you." He commanded quietly, unmoving. It wasn't a question. There was no room for her to refuse, and the warm embrace of her hips emphasized that as the stare he was giving her seemed to dare her to try to push him again.

"N-...nnnn..." She continued panting, split between two completely different reactions. A very strong instinct urged her to make a run for it. Literally. Blast him with her chakra and sprint out of the room. Another instinct, equally strong, wanted to pounce on him and ride him into the ground. The looked he was giving her wasn't helping at all. Lust-filled, confident, a little agitated. A look that patiently waited for her to give in to him, while silently insisting that she had no choice in the matter.

"No..." She sealed her fate. Yet it was an odd twist of fate. One that would actually end in her favor, though she would never believe it when it happened. She pushed against him one last time in an effort to break away and run for the door while she had the chance. She managed to take one step backwards while he began reeling her in closer by her hips, just in time for the room to flood suddenly in a curtain of light. Oh thank goodness! The nurse! She was saved!

Sakura looked over her shoulder with one hand planted firmly on Itachi's chest, trying to keep him at bay...but the alarmed portrait that greeted her sent her heart shriveling into a cold, desiccated raisin, and dropping into her gut. That wasn't the nurse.

Standing in the doorway, silhouetted with the light from the hallway at his back, was Sasuke. His face was dim with the bright light around him, but she could see him clear as day. She knew that face and hair anywhere.

The pink of her mouth hung in a permanent O as her eyes bulged at him. Nothing made its way out of her throat. His own eyes, wide with the same shock she felt, stared right back at her.

The short pink hair in front of him was a messy. Small hints of blood were still flecked and smeared at her nose and mouth. Angry red welts that were visibly throbbing puffed up at the side of her head and parts of her face. The look in her eye was wild, unlike anything he had ever seen from her before. Her shirt was halfway pulled up, and her pants were halfway pulled down. A white bra strap dangled loosely around her upper arm. Water and drops of blood reflected on the floor, and the bed sheets were a mess. Behind her sat his brother, on the edge of the bed, with a possessive grip on her hips while she looked to be pushing against him.

Slowly, he stepped into the room without a word, and eased the door shut behind them with a soft click. Flicking the switch, the room illuminated fully with its own light. Her lips quivered, as if they wanted to move, to form something intelligible, but they didn't know how. To her great surprise, his astounded look seemed to effortlessly melt into that calm and almost bored face she was so used to seeing on him. Making it a thousand times more difficult for her to find words.

Oh sweet mother of... What was he thinking?! What was she supposed to say?! Why was this happening! No, no, no, nonono...

Sasuke walked silently up to her, his eyes flitting over her entire body, up to her face to scrutinize her for a second, and then moved around her to look down at his brother. As soon as he looked down, his eyes shot back up again and stared at the wall. Just now realizing he wasn't wearing a single article of clothing. He saw much more than he ever intended to see in that split second. His nose flared a little, and his cheeks pooled the lightest pink.

In a blur of speed, Sakura returned to life by snatching one of the sheets and pulling it over Itachi's lap, hiding the member that was still quite tall and eager. His hold on her had broken the moment he saw Sasuke, leaving her free to stumble backwards and away from both of them. Hastily, she pulled her shirt down to cover her waist, and tugged her pants up a little. It was coming. The sledgehammer of shame, humiliation, and terror was going to cripple her soon. She could feel it looming in, but for the present moment, she was still in too much of a panic—damage control mode—for it to find her yet.

"Medicine! He just woke up!" She blurted fiercely, nonsensically, and quickly, as if she had a mere few seconds to convince some captor of her's to spare her life. "He needed a bath and they couldn't bathe him and I didn't want to but I had to but he woke up and he's really disoriented and Ididn'tmeantoitwasanaccident—"

The single glance Sasuke shot her stilled her tongue. There was nothing there. Nothing accusing, or angry, or emotional in any sense. He merely stared at her a moment, studying her fear, her extremely rushed words, her face... Those were some nasty marks on her face. When he said nothing, she clenched a fist, and retracted it to her chest, as if it would protect her from...something.

After a few seconds, he turned around and sat down on the bed next to Itachi. Sending glances up and down him, like he had down to Sakura. Inspecting him.

"Aniki?" He asked quietly. Itachi stared at him in a strange sort of wonder. For a moment, Sakura recognized that look. It was similar to the one he gave her when he opened his eyes for the first time. Vacancy. He said nothing.

"...Are you ok?"

Itachi paused, then nodded reluctantly, and glanced to Sakura. Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Do you know where you are?"

Itachi was thoughtful at first, and then seemed vaguely troubled, as if he didn't understand. The only sound he made was an, "...mmm..." and he looked around the room like he'd never seen it before.

Sakura didn't know what to make of his reaction. He knew where he was when she asked him earlier. Was this some sort of trick? Was he lying now, or had he tripped into a memory lapse, all of a sudden?

"He's...a little confused. He... I tried to stop him, but he ripped out his IV and NG tube." She peeped quietly, nausea churning her stomach as she watched them both. Every pause of silence was suffocating to her.

"How do you feel?" He pressed his brother gently, ignoring her for now. Nothing short of concern in his voice, though Sakura couldn't help but feel he was hiding something different and stronger, deep down. Hopefully she was just being paranoid, but intuition warned her otherwise.

Itachi was blank for a minute, and then knit his brows as he frowned slightly. His eyes closed, and a hand drifted up to his forehead cautiously. Sasuked watched him for a moment, collecting his own thoughts as he evaluated all the information presented.

"You should lay down." He concluded quietly, and rose to his feet.

"I was trying to get him more clothes, let me—"

"No." The younger Uchiha shut her down, passing her a strange glance. "I'll deal with it. Sakura, you should..." He paused, glancing from her tousled pink hair and down the length of her body, stopping at her chest longer than he should have. She still needed to fix her bra.

"Just go. I'll take care of this." He insisted after swallowing. There was no hint of anger, and yet she hesitated as she watched him turn around to face his brother again.

What was this? The calm before the storm? Why had he said so little to her? He hadn't even asked her a single question! His entire focus was on Itachi. Maybe...maybe this was a good thing? If he wasn't angry or upset in any way, then he didn't put any blame on her, right? Or was he just holding back for now...

So much uncertainty. Why was it always like this! This didn't make her feel good at all. But it was time to go now, once and for all. In a twist of irony, she had outstayed her welcome, though she'd been trying to leave all along. Well...sorta. No, she did try. She just did a crappy job at it.

Faint taps of her feet inched her backwards towards the closed door, feeling like there was so much more she needed to say, but couldn't. She fixed her bra quickly, and let her hand fall onto the door handle. "Sasuke... I'm sorry. I was trying to help. I didn't know this...this would happen. I swear I didn't...hurt him." His ear had tilted her way to listen, though he didn't bother to turn around and look at her. Itachi said nothing either, and didn't acknowledge her in any way. Like she no longer existed. When she was greeted with silence, she turned and slipped hurriedly out the door.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The house was devoid of life. Her parents were staying out late tonight. Having one of those "date nights", as they liked to call it. It was nice to have the place to herself. Especially now, after the fiasco that occurred earlier in the day. Once she left the hospital, she headed straight home as fast as her legs could carry her. Refusing to stop and talk to anyone, for any reason. A few odd stares had landed on her, due to her face, but she let nothing stop her until she reached the safety and seclusion of home. It was a little past nine now, and she was so emotionally drained all she wanted to do was lay in bed for a good twelve hours and do nothing. And yet, there were books spread all over the place.

She tried so hard to concentrate on something. Anything. All she wanted was to divert her mind from what happened, if only because she felt no closure. On the contrary, it seemed like every interaction she had with Itachi and Sasuke now was only going to tangle everything into an even tighter knot. Where did she even begin...

With a heavy, defeated sigh, she flopped down onto her bed on her stomach, into the narrow spot that was free of reading material. Her hair was freshly washed and dried, her teeth clean, and she welts on her face were much duller and less painful now, thanks to her own healing ability. A pair of loose, silky shorts that barely covered her butt, and a tank top served as her PJ's for now, in shades of red and white.

A single light lit up her room, next to her bed. Her tired eyes were fixated without purpose on the black window across from her. If she wasn't careful, she was going to start thinking herself in circles again. She needed to close the books, stack them away, and get to sleep before she could do that. The honest truth was, she had no idea what she was going to do now. Her moral compass was spinning wildly, and clogged with all sorts of rational and irrational fears and desires.

And speaking of desires, that deep, resounding ache Itachi had left her with never went away. Hours had passed, and even now the persistent throb between her legs tormented her. Squeezing her eyes shut in aggravation, she groaned loudly to herself. When would this end...

A hand slid down her blanket to her hips, contemplating touching the spot he so cruelly teased earlier. Wanting to quell her own lust, if only for a time. Maybe it would help her fall asleep faster.

Sakura sighed in resignation, and her hand wedged itself between her hips and the bed she was sprawled over, fingertips creeping between along her hidden crevice through her shorts.

A pounding on the front door startled her. Eyes opening to space out at the dark window and the distant stars beyond, she listened quietly. There was no way she was about to open that door now. She didn't know who it was, and she didn't care. It was late anyway...why would someone knock now? At any rate, they'd have to come back later, because she was going to feign unconsciousness...even though her light was on.

A full minute passed without another sound. Usually that meant they left. They better...or they'd be waiting outside for a lloonngg time.

With another sigh—one much more content than the first—she closed her eyes again. Hips rocking gently as she touched herself, she quickly found Itachi invading all of her thoughts. Just the expression on his face was enough to make her hot. There was something insanely attractive about his confidence, his blind passion in taking what he wanted... It scared her, but when he looked at her the way he did when he was sitting on his bed, it made a part of her want to let him do whatever he wanted to her.

A faint sound at her window caught her attention. For a second, she thought of ignoring it, and continuing her ministrations as images of a nude and perfectly toned Uchiha dominated her thoughts. Luckily, she chose to peak her eyes open.

Sakura gasped loudly and shot up on her bed, her busy, wet hand snapping into a fist as she stared at the person crouched on her windowsill, looking in at her with a vague annoyance. It was Sasuke.

Just how much had he seen? Did he know what she was doing?! Damnit!

Wait. Why was he here? He never came to her house!

The staring contest between them lingered for an uncomfortable length of time, with her sitting up on her bed, acutely alarmed, and him seated like a shrewd vulture behind panes of glass. Eventually, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he tapped his knuckles slowly on her window.

She fidgeted, suddenly overwhelmed in a sense of dread as she met his cold and hard gaze. He wasn't here for a chitchat, she was more than a sure of that.

"I can't talk right now, I...gotta go to sleep! Early training tomorrow!" She called across her room, refusing to leave the safety of her bed, knowing he could hear her. Scooting slowly towards the head of her bed, where her lamp was, she never lost eye contact with him. He didn't budge. The only movement he made was his steadily thinning eyes, locking onto her like little daggers at her obvious avoidance.

His knuckles were resting on the glass, but they didn't bother to knock again. Their staring contest resumed for a few more seconds, neither of them caving, before the Uchiha rose up to stand at her window. She was fully expecting him to turn and hop off, which was why she yelped loudly when he suddenly jerked his knee, and the two panes that were latched together down the center split up with a sharp crack.

Her gasp caught in her throat as he took a single step that landed him on her floor in front of the window, continuing with that nerve-shredding, narrowed stare of his. Sakura was silent, waiting for him to say something...and he would. Sasuke had never once shown up at her house before. For him to not only do that, but force his way into her room, it meant something had to be said...or done.

For a long while, he simply watched with his arms folded across his chest. In the very least, he didn't trespass any farther into her room, which made her feel slightly more relaxed...but really, she felt anything but ease basking in his weighted presence, after he kicked her window open.

Her hair was groomed neatly now, he noticed. The swelling and redness of her face had decreased dramatically. Her energy hadn't changed one bit, though. He could feel the same tension, the same nervousness as before. She was extremely uncomfortable...and he really didn't care. She should be.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" He asked without explanation, and Sakura blinked in confusion.

"..Uh... well, uhm..." What was she doing tomorrow? Oh yeah! It was her day off! "I...well I'm not working, so... I'm not sure yet. Why?" Answering timidly, skeptically, her head cocked lightly to the side. Wet fingers still clenched in a ball, she was secretly hoping against all hopes that he didn't have the time to catch onto what she was doing when he showed up. For now, it didn't seem like he knew.

"Hn." He answered vaguely, eyes darting over her. She already felt exposed enough, but she was actually clueless when he settled on her chest, thinking he was merely contemplating something while staring through her, as he sometimes did. This time, he wasn't. She wasn't wearing a bra, and he could clearly see the outline of the two small, round tips indenting her tank top. His nose flared briefly with an deep inhale, and he turned his head to pointedly look at something else in her room for a moment. All of it went right over her head. At the hospital, it had distracted him for a second. Lots of things about her had distracted him. None of which had made him feel very good. Right now, it distracted him for a little longer, and he had to fight to realign his thoughts.

"You're getting lunch with me tomorrow. Meet me at Ichiraku's by noon."

She looked at him in surprise, and stuttered a little. "B-but...I can't really...I mean I don't have a lot of money right—"

"I'm buying." He insisted sharply. Careless at this point of whether she was lying about being broke, or telling the truth. His goal was to get her there, and it didn't matter one bit if he had to pay to do so...or if he had to kick open her window just to tell her...or if tomorrow, he would need to literally drag her out her front door, if she decided to be stubborn.

Sakura paused, and then nodded slowly with wide eyes. Looks like she wasn't going to weasel her way out of this. Funny, since not long ago, she would've killed for him to ask her out to anywhere, for any reason. Now she...kinda felt like she was dying a slow death.

When he looked back at her, his eyes immediately returned to her chest of their own will, and he cringed slightly at himself. She didn't understand why, though. He was good at controlling reactions and hiding emotions...just like Itachi...and so unlike her.

He turned and hopped onto the windowsill, and then glanced over his shoulder at her. "You will be there." Reaffirming in a quieter, though stern tone, he then turned and disappeared into the night, leaving her window open for her to deal with.

Sakura fell onto her back, landing on a couple strewn books, to stare up in a mixture of curiosity and horror at her ceiling. Now she was never going to be able to fall asleep.

Shit.


	7. You Had My Curiosity

The sky was a gloomy, flat gray. Covered in a blanket of monotonous clouds that held little texture. The air was stagnant, without a breeze. A whiff of wet earth left its dull traces all around, but for the moment, there was no rain. The kind of atmosphere that made you want to snuggle up in bed with some tea, and read. Even close the curtains and light some candles, just to make it more cozy, and less depressing. Sakura didn't like this day. Unfortunately, she was in no position to hibernate in the safety of her room.

Life was filled with twists and turns, lately. What should have been an excited walk to the ramen shop was more of a sluggish, dreaded journey. Dead man walking. That feeling you get, when you just know something bad was going to happen...she was battling that right now. Trying to reassure herself that she was blowing things out of proportion again, and making unwarranted assumptions, but it all kept boiling down to an unsettling, ominous lump that would just not leave her gut. She was nervous about things before. So, so many things, involving many different people. This was a different kind of feeling. Like a chain reaction that she sensed had already begun, and knew there was no hope in stopping. Watching the very first domino fall, and glancing up to see the elaborate path of destruction that would inevitably come, as each subsequent domino was just a little bit bigger than the last. The final, largest domino of all, just so happened to be towering right over her head.

She sighed loudly, eyes squeezing shut in an aggravated grimace as her slow feet carried her onward down the road. "He wouldn't buy you lunch if he was angry at you." Sakura mumbled under her breath. A habit that she was only beginning to notice she picked up, sometime recently. It wasn't like her to talk to herself too much, but...who else was she going to talk to? There was no one to confide in when it came to this mess. No one was supposed to know it existed. But just like the day before, and so many days before that, her own words amounted to very little comfort for her. So little in fact, that more than once this morning, she actually contemplated telling Sasuke everything, just to get it off her chest. From walking to his house all those months ago, and uh...running into his brother, in the process...to the details of what really happened yesterday, before he showed up. If it was all over and done with, it couldn't cause her any more grief!

"But you can't, because you're a coward, and you're afraid of how he'll react." She grumbled some more, losing all focus on the people and places around her as she looked down at the ground. Letting her feet guide her aimlessly. "How could you be on a team with him after that...he probably wouldn't even talk to you anymore." The interesting part was, none of her worrying included the fear of Sasuke deciding to never be with her, after finding out she had slept with his brother. Wasn't that something she should have been torn up over? That was definitely new.

"Hey, Sakura!" A girlish voice called from somewhere close by, and she jerked her head up to look around. "What are you doing?" It was asked with a laugh as Ino, of all people, skipped up to her out of seemingly nowhere.

"...What? Uh, n-nothing?" She blinked innocently, ripped from her quiet monologue. The expression that examined her was a little too curious, and a little too devious.

"Really? Because it kinda looked like you were talking to yourself. You alright, Forehead?" Ino was smirking as she took a jab at her. Sassy, naturally, though not nearly as sassy as she used to be, when they were younger.

Sakura stared at her for a moment, trying to conjure up a response that was at least mildly witty, or insulting, but she got nowhere. She needed to be in a slightly better and less anxious mood for that, so she settled with, "No I wasn't." A flat lie, but if she kept staring at her seriously enough, maybe Ino would think she was imagining things, and brush it off.

The blonde arched a brow at her, and only laughed a little harder. "Yeah, ok. If you say so. Where are you going all dressed up, huh?" Her eyes targeted the new yukata she was wearing. A vibrant yellow with a branch raining down white petals. A little too cute to be running errands in, and obviously she wasn't going to work in that. A nice sunny contrast on this cloudy day though, she'd give her that.

Mind more than a little distracted, she thought nothing of blurting the truth, like it was no big deal. Of course it was a huge deal to her, for all the wrong and all the right reasons...but mostly wrong. But she was a little too worried of the kind of conversation she might get trapped into, if she wasn't careful, so she wasn't looking forward to it. "Oh, I'm getting lunch with Sasuke. I'm running late too, so—"

"You're what?" Ino cut her off with wide eyes, and side-stepped in front of her childhood friend, blocking her path. "Whoa, whoa, whoa...since when have you been going on dates with Sasuke?!"

Sakura was met with a rather shocked and accusing stare that she couldn't hide from. The kind that might soon accompany a foaming mouth and gnashing teeth.

"What? No! I'm not dating him! It's just food! We're getting food!" Her voice rose in slight panic. Where in the world would she get that impression? They were just eating lunch! Geeze, leave it to Ino to jump to crazy conclusions.

"Oh yeah? Well you're getting food in a really pretty yukata, if you haven't noticed. No offense Sakura, but you usually dress kinda like a tomboy. This is an occasion." Ino folded her arms across her chest and stared her down, suddenly making her feel a little interrogated. Great. Like she needed to deal with this before her real interrogation...or so she assumed was coming.

Sakura sighed, running her hands through her short, pink hair as she tried to collect her patience. "Ino, I swear... This wasn't even my idea! I'm only going because he wouldn't take no for an answer, and he said he's buying, so—"

It was a near shriek that startled her eyes into flying open, and staring at the girl that was about to explode in a mixture of excitement and frustration. "He's asking you out, and he's paying for your food? What the hell, Sakura! When were you going to tell me this was going on?!"

She blinked a few too many times, before throwing her hands up in the air and shaking her head furiously. "No, no, no! This isn't— It's not— Kami, Ino! It's not what it looks like! It's just Ichiraku's, anyway! And I'm not wearing this for him! I just like it!" Now it was starting to sound like she had way more to hide than she already did. Wasn't this grand.

"Sakura, are you sure you're feeling alright?" Despite the red face that looked like it was about to pop, Ino leaned in closer and inspected her up and down suspiciously. "You're telling me that you're getting all dressed up for a lunch date you don't even want to go to, with Sasuke, and it's not a big deal..."

"Uh... Yes. That's what I'm telling you." She insisted flatly, and watched as Ino's eye twitched.

Sakure jumped when a hand flew out of nowhere towards her face, and smacked loudly over her forehead. "I think you have a fever. We should go to the hospital. Like, now."

A seconds later, her hand was flung off as Sakura took a step back and snorted loudly through her nose. "I'm fine. I promise. Just...it's a little complicated, ok? I can't really get into it right now. I'll talk to you later. I'm already late!"

"Like hell! It's more than a little complicated! You have some serious explaining to d— Hey!" Ino yelled when she suddenly swerved around her and took off running down the road. "Are you kidding me? Sakura, get back here! I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE!"

She didn't look back. Her sandals shot her around the corner and wove her through the crowds of busy shoppers, effectively evading the hot-headed girl. As rude as it seemed, she didn't want to blow her off so easily. There was enough on her plate already though, and she really did leave her house about ten minutes later than she should have. Blame it on major procrastination and impossibly slow movements. Getting dressed had been like trying to move through mud.

"By the way, I can see your boobs!" The now distant voice shouted after her, and Sakura slowed and looked over her shoulder.

What? She could see her boobs? Looking down curiously, she stared at her own chest, which was sufficiently covered. "Tch...no you can't." She grumbled, and continued onward at a light jog. Sure, maybe if she had gigantic, Tsunade-sized boobs, they'd be spilling out a little, but as far as she was concerned, there was nothing to see. It dipped a little low, but wasn't that normal? Eh, she wasn't going to worry about it now. No one had ever brought it up before, anyway.

Then she froze. Someone did bring it up before. Pausing with one foot hovering in the air, she quickly grabbed the neckline and tried to tug the V closer together, to hide more skin. How had she forgotten the time Itachi fussed over her clothes, fixing her bow and adjusting the wrap of her yukata? He mentioned something then, about not wearing it properly.

Blushing a little in annoyance, it was only a few shops later before she stopped in her tracks a second time and looked around. This...wasn't the street she was supposed to be on. Twirling in a circle, green eyes flashed this way and that to try and get her bearings. Where in the crap had she ended up? Ichiraku wasn't even close to this area!

"Nyaaaahhhh!" A sharp wail drew some attention from the crowd as she slapped her hand over her eyes in exasperation. Clearly, she needed to spend less time worrying about what was going to happen in the future, and more time paying attention to the damn road. Well, at least it wasn't raining.

Plop...splat...

The slate gray above her head returned when she whipped her hand away to look at it. Raindrops... Really?

Another four landed on the top of her head instantly, and then began peppering her shoulders. At least she had an umbrella!

Wait. No, she didn't.

Oh no...where is it? Which way? Mmm...east! I need to go east! Springing into action, she thundered down the road like a madwoman, slipping around small groups and weaseling inconsiderately between couples strolling leisurely by. Even using a little bit of her chakra to make the faster turns, and bounce off the wall of a building or two when she couldn't slow down enough...with the yellow hem of her yukata flapping about wildly, like a true lady, of course. If she was lucky, she could make it to Ichiraku's without getting drenched.

Eight minutes later, the flaps hanging above the small restaurant flipped open in a wet flurry, and down plopped a dripping, panting mess of a thing onto one of the wooden stools sitting at the counter. Except that the stool was quite lumpy, almost painfully so, and Sakura instantly started to slide off the back of it before her hands clawed into the counter to anchor herself. Snapping her head down, she observed a pair of legs stretched out beneath her butt. Snapping her head to the side, she found Sasuke staring at her, with his back leaning against the wall of the shop. He was seated on the stool next to her, sideways, with her own stool serving as his footrest.

Words were supposed to be coming out of her mouth, yet all the Uchiha heard was a strange whimper-groan sort of...thing...that fluctuated in volume. She looked at him like he had sprouted three heads, and he looked back at her like she had sprouted four. Then, his eyes dulled into their lifeless, bored state, and his arms retracted from their lazy position on his lap, to cross over his chest.

"You look...nice." He said slowly, with a hint of sarcasm. Sakura deflated, back slumping slightly as she released a gulp of air, and hung her head in defeat. "I'm sorry, it's raining." She grumbled back at him bitterly, knowing full well that her yukata was now hanging off her like a soaked towel, and her hair looked a little wind-tossed and stringy.

"If you weren't twenty minutes late, you'd be dry." He countered without sympathy. The lumpy mass under her, that she hadn't bothered to climb off of yet, shifted suddenly off the stool as he moved to face forward. She plopped down into place, and listened to him sigh in what could only be utter disappointment. "Yeah well...I ran into Ino." It was a weak excuse. True, she really had, but she left the house late to begin with, and she was dumb enough to walk the wrong direction, so she would've been late anyway.

Sasuke snorted, resting his chin on his hands folded in front of him, hair hiding his face from her. "So you were late because you got caught up gossiping?"

"I wasn't gossiping!" The swath of dripping yellow straightened abruptly as an unexpected surge of indignation fired through her. She turned to give him a mild, insulted glare. One he would never see, as he didn't bother to face her. It was then that she saw the bowl of untouched ramen in front of him, without a trace of steam rising from it. Guilt and confusion filled her.

"You already ordered?"

"...You think he was going to let me take up two seats without buying anything...?" The question was a slow, disbelieving one, as if he didn't feel he should even have to ask her.

"...Oh... I guess not..." And now more guilt. "But you're not...hungry?" She eyed the bowl curiously, and then him. Or rather, the clump of black hair that kept his eyes from her.

"It would have been rude to start eating without you." There was no emotion behind it, but for some reason, it made her wince a little.

Sakura looked down at her lap. The rain was pattering down loudly behind them, reminding her she couldn't leave any time soon unless she wanted another long shower. She wasn't cold though, so that was nice. The smell of hot food wafted from behind the counter, but she wasn't feeling very hungry, all of a sudden. She didn't know what to say either...so, she just sat in awkward silence. He was the one that asked her to come, anyway. He was bound to speak up soon, though she was apprehensive about what he'd have to say.

Yet, the silence lingered. She managed to order her food, have it delivered, and hover her face above the bath of steam before another word came out of his mouth. By then, she was so nervous she didn't want to eat at all. Slowly, the bowl slid along the counter toward him, and he glanced down at it skeptically.

"You can have mine, since yours is cold." She murmured apologetically, eyes cast downward. Twenty minutes was a long time to wait. She was surprised he was still there at all. But then, they were both used to waiting even longer than that for Kakashi to show up, sometimes.

"No, it's yours." Answering simply, still no emotion, Sakura leaned her cheek on her hand and watched him. All he was doing was staring forward into nothing, like he was lost in some kind of trance. Was he angry? Sad? Did he feel...anything? Gah. It was always so hard to figure him out.

"Ok, well...let me pay for it, then."

"No. I said I was buying you lunch, so I'm buying you lunch." A second rejection, once again without so much as a glance her way.

In exasperation, she threw her hands up into the air, and let them flop loudly into her lap. By the looks of it, neither of them was going to get lunch after all. If he wanted to pay for two untouched bowls of ramen, then fine, but she officially had no appetite now. At least she offered.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, I didn't mean to be so late. Things just kept...happening..." With the bowl out of her way, she set her elbows on the counter, in a manner similar to his, and propped her chin in her hands. Feeling like a pile of crap, and he barely spoke so far. Leave it to Sasuke to pull that off.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it." He insisted coolly, and she tried to peek at him from the corner of her eye, but he was still facing forward defiantly. Was he pouting? Seriously, was this how he pouted? It was getting kind of annoying. Part of her would rather be yelled at for a couple minutes, than be subjected to a cold shoulder endlessly. Quick torture over slow torture any day.

"I know you think I'm an asshole."

Eyes widening, she slowly turned her head to stare at him. What did he just say...?

When he didn't elaborate immediately, she sputtered a little in denial, finding it difficult to believe her own ears. "I... I don't think you're an...an—"

"Stop."

She stared at him, mouth parted slightly, blinking slowly.

"Maybe I am an asshole, sometimes... I get it." He shifted a little, and she heard him give a soft sigh. One of resignation, rather than frustration. As if this was taking him some effort, but he had no other choice.

"I just wanted to say that...I appreciate what you've done. My family is...in your debt." The voice she heard was quiet and careful, pulling his words like he was pulling stitches. Each one a little bit uncomfortable, but they had to come out. This was not the way she thought her interrogation was going to pan out. All she could do was continue to sit and stare at him, unable to life her jaw.

"You don't have to thank me. I was just doing my job."

"It's more than just your job, Sakura. You've done more than I can repay you for." Finally, he turned his head toward her enough for her to see his eyes. There wasn't much to them, on the surface. They were as mysterious as they've always been, but it still caught her off guard. When she said nothing, and merely watched him dumbfounded, he studied her closely.

"What?"

"N-nothing... It's just... Er... You never really apologize or...say thank you." She winced as the words came out of her mouth, because they were true, and yet she felt bad saying them.

Sasuke watched her for a minute, seemingly unaffected, before a small smile showed on his face. He turned around, closing his eyes. "Yeah, well...don't tell anyone."

Sakura felt like she was on top of the world, in that moment. He wasn't angry at her. He was thanking her! Who would've seen that coming? Especially since the way he barged in on her last night was a little bit less than friendly, in her opinion. She honestly believed he was going to grill her about something. But this? What a nice surprise. Already her stress level had fallen to almost zero. Sweet, unexpected relief!

"So, how was he after I left yesterday?" Appetite suddenly returning in full force, she pulled the rejected ramen bowl back in front of her and dug in. It was a little hard to eat with a stubborn smile glued to her face, but she would manage.

"They stopped one of his medications, and changed the dose of a couple others. I don't know what they were. He wasn't very happy, though."

"What do you mean?" She asked between slurps while he sat there, still completely uninterested in his own food.

"He was in a lot of pain after that. Everything caught up to him, I guess."

"Yeah...he was moving a lot more than he should have. He wouldn't listen when I tried to...calm him down." If she wasn't careful, her cheeks were going to turn pink. They did that so easily, it seemed, and she was really starting to hate it. Now was not the time to relive those memories.

"He's healing a lot faster than they expected him to, though. They said it was because of you."

Head lifting with another slurp, she blinked in surprise. "...Me? What did I do?"

"You must have given him a lot of chakra, the night he came in. More than most medics could."

She looked down at her pile of noodles, unable to keep another smile at bay. Suddenly, she felt so silly. Why had she spent so much time avoiding him? She was feeling a lot better already...as if all her problems really had been in her own head. Were all those assumptions false? Based on nothing but her own creative exaggerations? She found that hard to believe, but that's what it was starting to seem like. Maybe she was just crazy...

"My parents wants you to come over for dinner next week, if Itachi is out of the hospital by then."

Sakura perked up instantly, one of her chopsticks clattering on the counter clumsily. "What? Really?"

"Yeah... Shisui will be there, too. They just want to say thanks. So...if you're not working Friday night—" A bout of nervous laughter interrupted him, and he glanced her way.

"Oh, they don't need to do that! I mean, it's very nice of them to offer, but I don't... I mean..." She paused awkwardly. "Well, you're already buying me lunch! I really don't need..." Crap. There was absolutely no way to say this without sounding like a rude, ungrateful bitch, was there?

Sasuke was staring her down, and she unconsciously swallowed, trying to gauge what he was thinking. Of course, there was no way for her to know, so she could only offer a weak, almost guilty smile.

"If you don't want to come, then fine, but you're the one breaking the news to my mom."

"What? No! I'd love to come to dinner!" Blurting quickly, and inwardly cringing at the same time, her face was beginning to betray her feelings. Something about this made her a little too nervous. Being with him, Itachi, and their family...and Shisui? All in one room? She should have been flattered. Okay, she was flattered, but something about it just screamed bad idea.

"...Then I'll tell them to expect you."

"Ok, sure!" Another apprehensive laugh followed, and she turned back to her food to stare down at it, without picking up her chopsticks. Damnit. She was very bad at playing it cool. Why couldn't she act more like him? She'd kill for that ability right now.

Wasn't it going to be painfully awkward, though? What if she had to sit in between Sasuke and Itachi? Ehhh... Hopefully Itachi wasn't going to remember most of the stuff that happened between them in his drug-induced state.

"You know, you've been acting strange, lately." From the corner of her eye, she could see him twisting on the stool to lean his shoulder against the wall behind him, arm resting up on the counter. He was watching her openly now, though monitoring even the simplest physical cues more closely than she was aware of.

"Have I? Sorry... There's been a lot going on. I'm just stressed, is all." The fake reassurance she was trying in vain to stuff down his throat while she focused too hard on her lunch wasn't going to work...but he would continue to give her that same, disengaged stare. The one that he could tell she was always trying to understand, and never could. He liked that, and used it to his advantage on a regular basis. There were some serious benefits to keeping a poker face. She could stand to learn a lot from that...but he was secretly appreciative of her inability to master her own emotions. It was coming in handy now.

"Anyway...it'll be nice to see your garden again." She chimed innocently in an attempt to redirect the subject, but only found an odd, creepy sort of feeling tingle up her spine instead.

When he said nothing, she stopped eating to look at him. That same, deadened stare was aimed at her, unaffected, yet his head cocked just so slightly to the side. She had enough time to get distracted by how pretty his hair was...something she overlooked when she was too busy being nervous. Shorter, and just a little bit darker than Itachi's. Though somehow, she found Itachi's hair to be prettier, now that she thought about it...

"My garden?" He asked naively, inquisitively.

"Yeah. With the koi pond and the red maple—" Sakura nearly choked. What the hell was she saying? How stupid could she be? To his knowledge, she had never been inside his home before, let alone glimpsed the garden they had.

His smile was hidden. So expertly hidden that all she had to look at was a perfectly uninterested expression as he lazily watched her. Nothing betrayed the silent victory he felt within. No one would ever hear the snicker, as she stumbled into her own carelessly set trap. He didn't have to exert any effort for that one.

Her pulse picked up, and she knew there was no controlling it. All she could do was muster the most composed, innocent face possible, and try to backtrack without creating a lie that was too obvious. She would have to lie, though. Mix some truth in with it, to make it more believable, but there was no slipping free of this blunder without some creative thinking.

"Oh...you...?" She smiled and shook her head lightly. "I guess I never told you. I showed up at your house a long time ago, but you weren't there. Itachi let me in for a while to wait for you, but I had to leave before you showed up, so... I got to see your garden then. It's really pretty." There wasn't a waver in her voice, and she pulled it off casually enough to surprise even herself. Though depending on what his next reaction was, she could easily lose her grip and start sweating bullets. Damnit...she had come so far. How could she screw this up now? She was practically in the clear until she opened her big, fat mouth!

"Mmm... When was this?" He asked nonchalantly, as if it didn't surprise him in the least. Sakura managed to keep the forced calm she was barely enduring, and threw together a simple, honest response that was just as calm as the last. "A few months ago."

Sasuke nodded slowly, and she chose that moment to look away from him. There wasn't a hint of suspicion directed at her, that she could feel, but the way he was looking at her, all of a sudden... At this point, she was ready to believe she was just overreacting, since she seemed to be good at doing that, but it was something she couldn't shake. It was no different to any other time he looked at her, in the past...and yet it was. That unsettled feeling returned. The sense of being in the limelight, with nowhere to hide. He was reading her more deeply than he was letting on, wasn't he... No. She was being paranoid again. She needed to stop doing that to herself.

From her peripheral, she saw him move again. His hand caught the side of his head, and he eased into a more comfortable lounging position. The black pits of his eyes wandered away from her, and stared at something beyond her as he allowed the faintest smirk to slip into view. "There was this one time I came home and found our tea room a mess. The doors to the garden were left open." His smirk crept a little higher with a pause. "I found this yukata with blue and yellow flowers hiding under my brother's robe—"

"IT WASN'T MINE!" Sakura blurted in a blind panic, drowning in an abrupt wave of adrenaline as wide, pale veridian bore into him. The clenched fists on the counter top were lined with white knuckles. Any second now, a line of sweat was bound to emerge on her brow, despite the cooling affect of her wet hair and clothes.

Sasuke's eyes flickered back to her instantly, and he let her see a brief flash of surprise on his face.

"...I never said...it was yours..." He said very slowly, in confusion, as if he never expected her to react that way. The display in front of him was almost comical. Her discomfort had exploded into a near tangible aura, and the way she was looking at him screamed a thousand silent apologies...yet officially, there was nothing for her to apologize for, was there?

The insane beating in her ears was all she heard, too afraid to move or speak as her eyes remained locked onto his fearfully.

"...You just reminded me when you said that...and because you happen to have the same one." He blinked. Completely and utterly clueless, as far as she knew.

After the longest minute of her life, her mind skimming through a million different possibilities of what to do next, she eased her fists off the counter and glanced away from him. Trying to calm down, but it was taking too long.

"Ok... I just... I thought you were... Because I would never do that. Yeah. Just so you know..."

"...Do what?" The Uchiha played along, just as innocently. His fingers were meshed up in his hair as he sat there, perfectly relaxed, despite her outburst. If she had the time, or the frame of mind, to analyze him the way he was currently analyzing her, she might find it infuriating how docile he was compared to her.

Oh, come on. Really? Was he going to make her say it? Why else would her clothes—or anyone else's, for that matter—be found under his brother's?

To make matters worse, her face was turning a beet red as she struggled to figure out how she was going to answer him without embarrassing herself more. Was it even possible?

"You know! Uhm... Nevermind. You know what? Let's just pretend this never came up. Because...this is kind of weird. And...yeah. You know." She laughed, a sound that was a tiny bit hysterical, in his opinion.

"Weird? You mean like...giving my brother a bath, weird? Or weirder than that?"

Sakura died inside. Just a little bit. The look she gave him was etched from pure horror, and he thought he might have seen a wisp of steam rising from her soaked clothes.

"Oh, what! That was not my fault! I wasn't even supposed to be in there!"

"Yeah, you weren't...so why were you?"

"I—what?! I had to! They were understaffed and they didn't have time to— Hey! They asked me to do it!" She scrambled defensively. "I didn't want to! Was I supposed to leave him dirty?!"

"I could have done it." He argued flatly, still lacking all of the emotion she was drowning in. It was amazing to witness just how worked up she could get, while hardly adding any fuel to the fire. Something that Itachi had already noted about her...which Sasuke was beginning to suspect.

Sakura's mouth flapped wordlessly, derailed by his simple suggestion. In the back of her mind, which was nothing short of a flailing vortex, she faintly realized that this was the exact interrogation that she had been afraid of falling into. How had it happened? Things had been going so smoothly, and then it was like the rug was pulled out from under her feet as soon as she felt safe.

"...You're right." She slouched in her stool, defeated. "You could have. I just wasn't...thinking... They caught me off guard, and I didn't want to say no, and I didn't want to try to track down someone else, so I figured if I just got it over with... Hey! I thought you were thanking me for that, anyway?!"

Sasuke took a deep, slow breath, seeming to think for a moment. "I am thanking you. It's just weird walking into his hospital room and finding him naked, and you half naked, with the lights off."

She gasped loudly. "I did not get punched in the face and groped by your brother to be interrogated like this, you know! And you're welcome!"

He arched a brow at her. "I'm not interrogating you. I was just pointing it out."

Empty black met a heated green, and Sakura had to quell the urge to clutch her fingers into her hair and scream. Instead, she shook her head away from him quickly enough to cause her hair to snap against her face. In front of her, she found the cook and the waitress watching them both...but as soon as Sakura locked eyes with them, they scurried out of sight faster than Kakashi at the sound of a new Icha Icha book release.

She could feel his gaze on her, but she wouldn't acknowledge him. Not yet. She knew she needed to chill out, even if it was far too late to save face. He was just so damn good at getting her riled up. Was it a natural Uchiha trait? It kinda seemed like it. Damn them all.

Eventually, she would find the courage to look back at him, and found that his eyes were lingering somewhere below her face. She blinked a couple times, then looked down. There was nothing to see. Nothing visibly wrong, or out of place. What was he looking at? When she glanced to his face again, he was making eye contact. Gah...whatever. She was done trying to navigate him. She needed to leave before she dug herself into an even bigger hole.

The rain was still coming down in droves, but that was the last thing she was worried about now. Sliding her butt off the stool, she tried to straighten out the stubborn fabric that was sticking together, and to her legs. "Alright, I gotta go. Thanks for lunch..." Pausing, as she felt there was so much more that needed to be said, she looked down at the ground, and then back up at him.

He hadn't shifted a muscle, and merely followed her movements while continuing to lean against his hand. "Sure... Be there by four next Friday."

She hesitated for a moment, before deciding to just let it all go with a quick nod, and headed for the protective flaps that hung over the tiny ramen shop.

"It'll still be light out, so you can see the garden again."

She stopped, and glanced at him over her shoulder. He was watching her with the faintest smirk on his lips, and she couldn't keep from narrowing her eyes skeptically. "Yeah... That'll be...nice. I'll see you then."

The splatter of cool rain that washed over her the moment she ventured out into the street was nothing short of refreshing, compared to the tight, hot confines of the restaurant she was stuck in. She made it a few paces out into the open, before stopping and letting the water pour over her with her eyes blissfully closed. Deep breath in, slow breath out. Everything was going to be okay. Sasuke didn't know a damn thing, and he wasn't ever going to find out. She just needed to keep telling herself that. As long as she didn't blatantly admit to doing something wrong, she was fine. The worst was over, and the rest could be swept under the rug forever. Even if she was having trouble believing that...that's what she was determined to convince herself.

"This is a strange spot to take a nap." A masculine voice startled her, and she snapped her eyes open to find Shisui planted right in front of her.

She sucked in a gasp, and took a step backward. "Gah! Wha.. Shisui?!"

"That's me." He blinked, standing there with an umbrella over his head, not a care in the world.

"How did you get here?" She asked, looking to the right and to the left, as if she couldn't figure out where he came from.

His movements mimicked hers, and he scratched his head lightly. "Well, you know, I kinda live here, soooo..."

A hot sigh panted into the damp air, and Sakura leveled him a vaguely amused, half-lidded stare while folding her arms across her chest.

"I'm getting lunch." He gestured to Ichiraku's behind her, and she turned to look in slight confusion.

"Oh...?" That was interesting. Was he meeting Sasuke there, too? Or did this just happen to be an unlikely coincidence? Nevertheless, he didn't give her time to question him.

"Did they talk to you yet?"

"Huh? Who?" She whipped back around to look at him, blinking furiously through the steady onslaught of rain. Despite being difficult to see, it still felt really nice on her skin.

Shisui squinted at her, and didn't answer immediately, leaving her extra perplexed.

"I guess not..." The corner of his mouth twitched a little, but then suddenly beamed in a smile.

"Don't worry, they'll drag you in soon."

"What are you talking about?"

"Honestly, I can't say. It's classified." He leaned in close to her suddenly, almost too close. "ANBU stuff." And then leaned away, with that same smile. "They'll bring you in soon, though. Sorry, I probably shouldn't have said anything, I just figured they already—"

In the next second, his umbrella was ripped out of his hand, and held at arm's length behind her as she aimed a glare at him that was too reminiscent of one Tsunade excelled at giving. "Shisui...if you don't spill the beans in 5 seconds, I swear to Kami I am snapping this umbrella in half." Oh, she meant it, too. She had far too many buttons pushed as of late, and she didn't need any more suspense added on top of the mountain she was being crushed under.

The hand she ripped the umbrella from hovered curiously in the air, and he blinked at her in mild alarm.

"Sakura...do you know what I do for a living?" He asked in the most serious tone of voice, and she watched his hands slowly slip into the pockets of his pants.

"A little rain isn't going to bother me." Was his extremely vague conclusion, and then he flashed that same, almost childlike smile at her.

The flat, resigning look on her face made him chuckle a little. She wasn't going to get anywhere with a threat like that, but he found it adorable nonetheless. Then, he leaned into her a second time, and she stiffened.

"Let's just say it involves some field work. I hope you've been training." With that, he spun around her and retrieved the umbrella she'd been holding captive faster than she could blink, and by the time she turned around to face him, he was disappearing beyond the flaps of Ichiraku's.

What... What was that supposed to mean?!

With a loud, growling sigh, she stomped off down the street. Field work? ANBU stuff? What did the ANBU have to do with her?

Inside the restaurant, the wet stool that had been claimed by the kunoichi was reclaimed by someone much drier than her...until he sat down. Shisui swiveled around in the stool to face the counter. The folded, intact umbrella was left to lean below him.

"My butt is wet..." The older Uchiha mumbled under her breath curiously, and then glanced to Sasuke next to him, who was gazing almost dreamily into space.

"Whatcha doin?"

Reluctantly withdrawing from his own little world, he looked at Shisui. "Thinking a little..."

"A little? Seems like a little more than a little."

Sasuke snorted. "Doing some detective work, is all."

"Oh, yeah? What kind of detective work?"

Turning to face the counter fully, pulling his shoulder from the wall, Sasuke raised his hand to flag down the cook so he could order for Shisui. Sakura wasn't the only one that deserved some free food, after all...though food hardly amounted to the value of his brother's life. It was still a good place to start.

"Still working on it. When I get more details, maybe I'll let you in on it."

"Hmm.." Shisui hunched forward on the counter, resting his elbows as he thought to himself. "Does it involve a pretty girl with pink hair?"

Sasuke targeted him from the corner of his eye, and Shisui stared back.

"Maybe..."

They smirked simultaneously.


	8. Now You Have My Attention

It'd been a long walk, but there was no rain this time. A few nonthreatening, fluffy clouds roamed quickly through the sky with a swift, cool breeze, but nothing more. Summer was coming to an end, and soon, these lightweight yukatas Sakura had been steadily collecting weren't going to be enough as the temperature gradually dropped. Every time she wore one, she received another comment. Was it so out of place for her to wear them? They weren't a significant part of her wardrobe before, but she found herself warming up to them now. It didn't help that her mother kept buying them for her, but who was she to deny free clothes? Ah well. She was going to keep wearing them, and damn anyone that made fun of her for it. At least today, she assembled it more meticulously. No one could complain about her boobs now...although she still didn't understand what the fuss was all about. Maybe if people would quit looking at her boobs in the first place...

She was standing idly on the porch with her back to the door, watching a few leaves streak on down the road in front of her, listening to the distant sound of some kids playing nearby. A whole week had passed with her successfully avoiding Itachi. He was discharged from the hospital a couple days after she had the luxury of waking him up, so it wasn't that hard, but she had indeed gone out of her away to steer clear of his room. Why? Embarrassment, of course. Every time she thought about him, he was one giant, glaring question mark in her overworked brain. Consciously evading him did nothing to keep her attention off him, however. He was there, lurking in the shadows—and all too often the forefront—of her mind every day. Was it weird to say that she missed him? Because she certainly felt weird upon realizing that.

More than anything, she wanted to know how he was doing. Was he still healing quickly? Being discharged so fast, she could only assume he was. What did he remember? Did he retain anything from the night he was admitted, to the day he sprang to life and started ripping out tubes, and muttering all kinds of nonsense to her...excessive apologies she didn't fully understand. It was easy to dismiss his less than orthodox attitude as a side effect of physical trauma and an array of medications...but part of her reluctantly believed there was more to it than that. No matter what, she was going to find out today.

Yes, today she was having dinner with the entire Uchiha family, and Shisui. Which reminded her, she would have to pull him off to the side and try to wring more information from him, because so far, no one had 'dragged her in' to talk about some 'classified' 'ANBU stuff'...whatever the hell that was. It was beginning to gnaw at her, and more than once she had fought the urge to ask Tsunade about it. Mostly because she didn't want to get him in trouble.

The stillness distracting her, she turned back around and stared at the plain, closed door in front of her. No sound came from beyond. The house was eerily quiet. Her thoughts drifted to the last time she was here, waiting in vain for Sasuke to open the door. Well, she was here on time, so unless they changed the date without telling her... Maybe she didn't knock loud enough?

A hand emerged from her long sleeve and rapped on the door a second time. Guiltily, she wondered if something had come up, and if they would have to postpone or cancel dinner. Then she could avoid more awkwardness! Or maybe she could just suck it up and try to act like an adult about everything... Nah. In this case, avoiding things was definitely easier. Still, she stood there patiently, waiting for someone show up and let her in.

As the seconds ticked by, her shoulders relaxed, and she sighed through her nose, at a loss for what to do next. Then, she heard the faint footsteps approaching, slow and light, and she looked up in anticipation. Just when she was starting to think she should leave, too. Now there was hardly any time for her to return to feeling anxious.

The pale pink smile sank a little when the door slid open only enough for one body to fit through, and the tired, dark eyes of Itachi stared down at her with an air of confusion. A taste of deja vu teased her, and Sakura was unable to keep herself from...well, gawking had to be the word. The robe she recalled from her first visit was absent. The only thing covering him was a pair of loose, dark blue pants that sagged a little. He was leaning in the doorway with one forearm against the frame, almost as sleepy-looking as the day she roused him into consciousness in the hospital. Bare chest and arms completely free of bandages and splints, only a few discolored areas marred his—in her biased opinion—flawless skin. Shorter, dark hair that appeared black, except when in direct sunlight, framed his face the way it usually did, with the rest pulled back in a longer, loose ponytail.

"Good morning." He mumbled groggily, and then cleared his throat.

Sakura blinked one too many times before she could fish out any words. It surprised her to see him answering the door, and it surprised her even more when the mere sight of him made her heart flutter. Not to mention, he looked to be recovering quickly. It was nothing short of impressive. When she did, she laughed lightly. "It's four in the afternoon."

Everything was in slow motion, as he glanced from her to the skyline beyond, and considered her statement in what seemed to be a dazed and delayed reaction. "So it is..." He mused to himself, and looked back down at her. Focus gradually sharpening on the subtle smile that was stuck on her face, and the pink in her cheeks that wasn't exactly a blush, yet could easily turn into one.

When more seconds slipped by with them doing nothing but staring at one another, Sakura's curiosity got the best of her. "So uh...it's Friday, right?" It better be. The last thing she needed now was to be getting entire days mixed up. Something wasn't right.

"Mm...yes." He nodded after thinking a little bit more than he should have.

"Good. And uh...it is four, right?"

"I don't know. Is it? I thought it was morning." He blinked, serious as they come. She was the one correcting him. Why was she asking for reassurance now?

The shiny pink hair swished gently as she shook her head, stifling another laugh. "I'm supposed to be here at four! For dinner...remember? With your family? They told you that, right...?"

Slowly, she could see the cogs and wheels turning within him. Ever so slightly his eyes narrowed at her, and his back straightened as he shifted his weight. Behind him, she could hear and see nothing that indicated life existed within his household, yet her focus remained on him. Like a candle in the dark, it was kind of hard to see anything else.

"Yeah... No. You're supposed to be here later." Easing off the door frame, he rubbed the back of his neck as he watched the dawn of disbelief that crossed her.

"What? No, Sasuke told me to show up by four!"

Slinking back into the cobwebs of his brain, Itachi recounted everything he could remember, starting from the day he woke up...which was probably a lot more than she was aware of. "I was told you would be here around six-thirty."

"Are you serious? I'm two and a half hours early? Are you sure?!" She studied him shrewdly, finding it hard to believe she misheard the correct time. Maybe they had a change of plans, and just forgot to tell her. Man...this kinda sucked. But of course something like this would happen to her. It made perfect sense, in a backwards, sadistic sort of way. Following the events that panned out in her not-too-distant past.

The door slid open wider, and he stood to the side, giving her a view of the dim hallway beyond and the lack of sound that would make the drop of a kunai resonate like thunder. "I'm sure. There's no one here."

A loud, moraning sigh deflated from her, and he watched as her head and shoulders drooped dramatically. "Whyyyyy... I have to walk all the way home now, and then come back like an hour later." True, depending on how fast she walked...the Uchiha compound wasn't that close to her home. Two and a half hours was just short enough to make it a pain for her to have to leave and return a short time later.

As she cast an aggravated stare down at the porch, she heard him groan quietly while he stretched. A couple joints popped, his arms reaching above his hand. "You don't have to go." He offered, closing his eyes with a wince while he worked on his back next, twisting one way and then the other for more pops to fill the air.

Sakura peeked up at him with something akin to an unsure, anxiety-ridden hopefulness. The kind that barked hell no I'm not staying and yes please! All in one glance. That was nice of him...but...two and a half hours of waiting? She would be alone with him for that long? That was...well, she didn't know how to feel about that.

"Really?" It sounded more excited than it should have, and she quickly backtracked. "I mean... I dunno. Maybe that's not a good idea."

After a roll of his neck, his eyes were noticeably more lively when they looked down at her. As if all he needed to do was realign himself, and he was magically awake. Her hands retreated behind her back and wrung themselves. The motion drew his attention downward, and he made a sweeping pass over the yukata she wore. The very first thing he noticed was that it fit her almost perfectly. The top wasn't too revealing. Everything laid the way it should, and he had a feeling even the bow at her back was situated just as well. Good. It was cute, too. He liked the first one better, though...but this one would do. A dark blue with red and white butterflies, and a red obi. He was reminded of their Uchiha crest instantly. Did she do that on purpose? How...adorable.

"Okay. Then come back at six-thirty." The indifferent response he left her with surprised her, for some reason. As if she expected something more manipulative and devious from him. Was it wrong of her to think that?

"Oh... Okay. I guess I...will." She fumbled, suddenly confused, and they spent another awkward minute looking at each other. Her eyes trickled down his own bare chest, and then she snapped her head away. "Okay! I'll be back! Uhm...yeah!" With her head turned, she missed the slight smile on his face, and he took a step back to slowly close the doors.

"Wait!" The slap of her hand on the door paused him, and he looked at her questioningly.

"Uhm... Actually, that's a lot of walking. Would it really be alright if I stayed until then?" There was no explanation for the shaking in her voice. It was barely audible, and she didn't even notice it until she'd spit the words out...but then she inwardly cursed at herself. Was it really so much to ask for her to show a little bit of confidence around him? Why did he do this to her? This was annoying.

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be alright?" He asked innocently, cocking his head and leaning it against the side of the door.

"Because...no one's here." She peeped, as though the words themselves were too tantalizing to hear.

His eyes narrowed, and he looked sideways, thinking to himself things she would never know. When he smirked without warning, and shoved the door back open with a clack, her eyes widened.

"Just get in here."

Moving out of the way, she was left with a vacant, dark hall in front of her that looked a lot longer than it should have. Sakura stepped tentatively past him, like she expected something to jump out at her from around a corner. The door tapped closed behind her, and he glided on down the hall without a care.

"Would you like some tea?" He asked over his shoulder, and the deja vu she experienced earlier returned in full force, raining over her like a cold shower. Her feet were suddenly weighted with lead as she tried to keep pace after him. This...was far too familiar. Empty house, waiting for someone to return, tea...were they also headed to the tearoom? She didn't know if she could go in there right now.

Sakura stopped in the middle of the hall, sensing the walls closing in around her. A flashback of being pressed against a flat, unyielding surface with her wrists pinned beside her came next. A hot pant on her skin, then a tongue, feeling her obi fall away and drop to the floor.

Her breaths came a little quicker, and she closed her eyes, a hand bracing against the wall. She didn't know why this was happening now. Well, she did, but she didn't... All she knew was that she felt impossibly hot and dizzy, out of the blue, and that she needed to calm down and focus. It nearly swept her off balance. The rush of images bombarded her with a sense of being trapped and exposed, unable to get away. They were much more real than memories, somehow.

The pattering of bare feet disappeared. Itachi had turned around and stared at her from the other end of the hall, when she didn't answer him. From where he was standing, she looked like she was going to be sick. Hunched forward slightly, leaning some of her weight on the wall, eyes sealed in concentration, chest moving in short, shallow puffs.

The journey back down the hall towards her was slow and cautious. The sound of a light switch flicking on drew her eyes to open, and she jumped slightly when she found him standing right in front of her. "Sakura... You're fine. Everything is okay." He whispered in a subdued voice, striking her as something impossibly surreal as she gazed up at him in surprise. Her initial instinct was to bolt away from him to regain some personal space, but she was unable to move.

The soft touch of a palm smoothed over her cheek as he held her face in his hands. "You're okay." He insisted soothingly. The crushing panic that had ambushed her so fiercely began trickling away, melting into a tolerable level, and then disappearing completely as she locked eyes with him. There was a gentleness there she had never seen before, and at first, she wondered if this was even the same person.

"We're going to drink tea, and wait, and have dinner, and then you're going to go home. That's it." The rhythm of her breathing eased to a pace that matched his. Easy and calm. The cramped box she was suffocating in expanded outward, freeing her like it never existed. She could see and hear only him, and remarkably, it made everything go away. How did he transform from her source of anxiety to her source of relief so quickly? She wanted to blame it on his sharingan, but it wasn't even activated.

"Haah..." She took a step back finally with a light pant, slipping a hand over her stomach. "I know. I'm sorry. I dunno what happened... I just felt dizzy for a second." She lied, or rather, bent the truth. Trying to play it off as something much less than it really was. That was...odd. She was alright a minute ago, then it just felt like she was about to start hyperventilating.

Her back fell against the wall, and she leaned there for a moment. Too embarrassed to look at him, though she could feel him looking at her. His hand fell away from her, but those eyes were a different story. She didn't need to see them to know he was reading her the way he usually did. Far deeper than she could ever read someone, just by looking at them. Her own eyes shut, as if that could block him out, but something took hold of her hand.

He pulled her from the wall, and guided her down the lit hall after him without an explanation. All of it was gone. She didn't know how he pulled it off, but tailing along behind him with her hand trapped in his was, in that moment, the most natural thing in the world.

A door slid open, revealing the tearoom. The one place that made her extra squeamish, yet it wasn't all bad. Her heart was racing again. Remembering all the things that happened in there, but from a perspective that was less flighty and panicky this time. He didn't let go of her hand, though. She was pulled into the room, around the crimson cushions, the short table that was without a speck of dust, and to the opposite side. Another set of doors opened, revealing the same garden as before.

The sight washed everything that clouded her away with a tide of color. The maple was still there. The leaves were green this time, but they were edged with the lightest pink that was sure to spread and deepen into red, in the near future. Much of the flowers had disappeared, but there were some red and white roses bordering the length of the porch, and the ends of the arching bridge over the reflecting pond. Bubbles erupted under tiny, fallen leaves, and unsuspecting bugs, reminding her of the koi hiding below. A cool breeze danced by, rustling the leaves and the sound of a soft, tinkling chime from some unknown location.

She felt him pulling her again, and moved without thought as he brought her out onto the porch, and finally let her hand drop. "Green tea." He murmured from somewhere close by, and she heard him drift away, too captivated by the garden to look back at him. There was room out here. She could breathe. And it was so...pretty wasn't descriptive enough. If she could set up a hammock and take a nap out here, she would be in heaven. It was easy to forget how much she enjoyed being there, with all the distractions and stress that hounded her. Just standing there was medicinal. It made all the fears dissolve into nothing. It made her own mind, which she was starting to believe was her number one enemy, be quiet and still like the pond.

Though the house was silent, she was too immersed in the world of tranquil beauty to hear his feet thump quietly across the wooden floor behind her. He returned only a few minutes later, and yet it felt like eternity and the blink of an eye all in one. The clank of the teapot on the porch next to her brought her back, and she looked down at the steam rising from the small spout, and the two cups next to it. Itachi eased down and rested his back against a wooden pillar, one foot planted on the steps that led down into the garden. She flattened the fabric against the back of her legs, and sat down across from him, with the pot between them. A little more deja vu, but she could handle this one.

His eyes were closed, and she watched him breathe slowly with his head inclined into the beam behind him. He said nothing. The tiny cloud filtered up into the air between them, and dissipated with a continuous breeze that was just the right temperature. With his eyes off her, Sakura was free to soak him in undisturbed. The veil of exhaustion haunted him still, but it was nothing compared to when he first woke up. He was healing fast, and it was evident in more than solely his lack of bandages. He looked healthier all around. Skin a little less pale now...still pale, but no longer ghostly from blood loss. It was hard for her to believe much of this was a result of her own chakra, but that's what people were saying.

She found it curious that he would withdraw into the image of a perfect statue, as if he were asleep, or ignoring her entirely. Yet, it reinforced the feeling of calm, and safety. This wasn't so bad... In fact, this was almost perfect.

Her eyes softened as she tucked a piece of twirling hair behind her ear, and roamed over the landscape of his chest, and down to the top of his pants. The ripple of muscle that defined his obliques was there to tease her again. Why were those so damn attractive? Sheesh. She couldn't look at them without feeling like a giant pervert, and she couldn't not look at them so long as he was lacking a shirt. And then, as if he could sense the slight change in her, his eyes opened and stared at her from under those dark lashes.

Sakura glanced up at him, and then instantly looked away with a small smile. "No jasmine?" A sweet, inquisitive voice met his ears, pretending she wasn't doing exactly what he knew she was doing. Did she think she was the only one that could feel eyes on her? Silly girl.

"No." He answered simply. Sure, he had jasmine tea. He had lots of tea. His mother was a near tea fanatic. But he wasn't going to let her have it. Not after the display in the hallway. She was scared, and the less that reminded her of her first visit here, the better. She probably thought he had no idea what she was going through, or why, but he did. That made it all the more sinful, though, didn't it... He knew how he affected her—good and bad—and he knew what the events of late were doing to her.

But that's precisely why he stopped. He told her what she needed to hear, that she was okay, and he gave her the space she needed to unwind. It couldn't end there, however. This was just the beginning to a tricky, hazardous maze, but he saw it coming, and he prepared for it. Things were going to change after today, for better or worse...and that was largely up to her.

"Oh... That's fine. Green tea is nice, too." She shrugged, truly not caring what kind of tea he gave her. They were all good. Since he made no sign of moving any time soon, she took it upon herself to pour them both a cup, and set hers in her lap as she watched the living painting before her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Much better." He murmured, following the perfect posture of her back while she had her attention elsewhere. There were differences between now and the first time they met. He couldn't describe all of them yet, but he knew they existed. She had grown, in some ways. Others, not so much...but he didn't mind.

"Do you hurt, still? Sasuke said they changed your medicine, after I left that day..." A pearly tooth caught her bottom lip, and nibbled lightly. That wasn't the question she really wanted to ask him, but she couldn't be so bold. Partly, she was afraid of the answer he'd give her, but she knew she needed to find out either way.

Only the distant chimes fluttering in the wind could be heard, and she reluctantly glanced his way. Noting the movement of his eyes as they left her mouth and met hers.

"I'm a little sore, but it's fine."

Such a short response that left little for her to work with. Sakura looked down at her lap, and lifted her cup to take a sip of the burning liquid. Almost too hot to swallow, but she pushed it down forcefully. So...this was how it was going to be? She needed to get straight to the point? After all the crazy things he said and did to her, he was making her pry him open with her own hands, like a stubborn clam refusing its pearl? Oh, he and Sasuke were most definitely related. Fine. The atmosphere strengthened her enough that she felt she could do this...even though something cold was trickling down into her stomach at the mere thought of opening her mouth.

"So... What do you remember?" Keeping her gaze down, she focused on willing herself to remain as poised as he was. If she couldn't, then she knew she was going to be in for a rough ride, and now was the perfect time to practice the poker face he and his younger brother were so good at maintaining.

"Everything." His honesty, coupled with the emotionless tone he used, caught her off guard.

"...Everything?" She nearly whispered, looking up at him curiously. Unsure of what to say next, she quickly looked away again, but the eyes that focused on all the colors around her absorbed none of it.

"I think you were right about the medications. They made it difficult to think clearly."

"Heh...you're telling me... You kept apologizing for something that...I don't know. I couldn't figure it out. You just kept saying you were sorry, and..." Drifting off, she took another sip of tea. The way he acted in the hospital was so bizarre to her that she wasn't even sure how to accurately explain. So many 'sorry's, and then he was kissing her, and touching her, and looking at her in a way that made her want to run away, except she could only turn into a puddle of useless goo.

"I meant it."

She looked at him, lowering the cup to the porch next to her hip. There was nothing dangerous or lusty about his gaze, nor was there a sense of disappointment, or irritation, or even vacancy. Something was there, but she couldn't put her finger on it. It made her lose sight of everything but him.

"Every apology, I meant. Nothing came out the way it was supposed to, but I can tell you it was sincere."

"But what were you even apologizing for? I don't understand..."

"You really have to ask?"

She blinked at him, feeling a little stupid. Yes, she did have to ask. She couldn't figure him out. At this point, she had a much better chance at figuring Sasuke out...but that was only because she spent much more time with him, being on the same team.

"Sakura, I did a lot of things that I shouldn't have done, and I would've done them again, if you hadn't left when you did last week." Rather, if Sasuke hadn't shown up when he did.

"But...I thought... You told me you lived in the moment. You said sometimes things just happen, because you try to appreciate everything you have, while you still have it. I didn't think you regretted anything." Her words were quiet, unsure, and skeptical. That was what he told her, months ago. Didn't he remember? When she got so angry at him, thinking he was just using her and throwing her away because he didn't care. That was how he explained his actions, and he sounded so confident in his rationale at the time. Why was he choosing to apologize for them now?

"I do live in the moment. Sometimes, though...it's not a good thing." A slow sigh disappeared into the breeze with his admission, and she watched him in awe.

"So...you do regret what...what happened between us?" The fluttering pulse returned too quickly for her to wrestle it under control. Finally, he took the time to pause and take a sip of the tea she generously poured for him. It felt good searing down his throat. He would have to be careful how he answered this question...but he already knew what to say, and it was the truth.

"I regret hurting you...that's all." No...he didn't regret touching her. Every second of her exposed flesh, and her desparate noises was burned into his memory forever. Sometimes they even snuck into his dreams when he least expected. But he regretted how he did it. It was so wrong, in so many ways. Physically, he had hurt her...but most of the damage was psychological, and it was present to this day. The kind of damage you can't slap a bandage over, and wait for it to heal. That's what he was trying to convey when he came to his senses, lying next to her in his hospital bed. It ended in nothing short of a disaster, though. Sasuke's unexpected entrance was the best thing that could have happened. His filter had been ripped off completely, leading him to spill both of the truths in one giant mess. The truth that he was sorry for what he'd done, and the truth that whenever he laid eyes on her, he wanted to rip off her clothes and claim her for his own twisted, selfish desires. It was a feeling he never experienced before, and he was having trouble understanding why it persisted so strongly.

Did she know how captivating she was? She was so innocent and naïve at times, and also so passionate, fiery and stubborn. The only fitting description for her was pure. This was only the third time he interacted with her, and if she thought he was a magnet constantly trying to pull her in, she had no idea the force she inflicted on him. If they switched positions, she could be crushed in an instant by the intensity he battled against.

She didn't know what to say. This was one of the last things she expected from him. Honestly, she didn't know what to expect to begin with, but this wasn't among the numerous possibilities in her wild imagination.

"You didn't hurt me..." She reassured quietly, without even thinking. He did hurt her. He caused her a whole lot of pain and panic and confusion, but also a whole lot of good things. He made her feel more alive than ever before, even if it was in a chaotic way, and she in no way regretted the times he touched her. They messed with her head, but the fact that she had to try so hard to resist giving into him spoke for itself. It was scary. She didn't understand it. But it felt good...and now she realized she didn't want him to feel bad for anything that happened. All she wanted was for him to be okay. She could handle everything else he and the rest of the world threw at her. After seeing his lifeless, bloody corpse in rags on a stretcher, the only thing she was concerned with was his well-being.

Her heart fluttered again. Something dawned on her as she watched him, and it reignited the panic she thought she outgrew. Her own revelation stirred up her own hidden truth she never had the chance to analyze, until now. It was evident in the way he seemed to make everything else in the world disappear, when she was in his presence. Even more evident in how easily she tried to brush off his glaring transgressions. She actually cared about him...and not in the way she cared about Naruto, or Kakashi. Not even the way she cared about Sasuke.

Her face paled, but she was distracted when he spoke up again.

"Yes, I did. You don't need to lie for my sake." Itachi argued flatly, leaving no room for debate. His eyes never left her, flickering intently over her. He noticed the change, but he wasn't going to dissect it yet. This was something she needed to hear for her own peace of mind. "I lost control more than once. I let instincts get in the way of rational thought, and you paid the price. For that, I'm sorry. I never should have treated you the way I did...and I promise, Sakura, it will never happen again. I have far too much to thank you for. You saved my life. That's not a debt that can ever be repaid. This promise is the least I can do."

Silence crept in. He took a minute to peer into her eyes, and saw them gloss over as though her very brain ceased all functioning, and then glanced away. She continued to stare at him while he inspected something in the garden with mild interest, unable to do anything else. This was too much for her to digest all at once. She felt elated, but then she felt like crying, and she didn't even know why, but then...all she could do was sit and stare like a porcelain doll.

"You like the garden...you should explore it." He murmured suddenly, and she saw him rise to his feet, leaving his half-full teacup on the floor. "I need to get dressed, I'll be back." The sound of his footsteps swerved behind her and dulled as they entered the tearoom, and beyond. She glanced over her shoulder, watching him retreat around the corner, and feeling her chest inexplicably ache when he vanished from her sight.

Then she turned to gaze out at the simple, short bridge over the pond. It was small, from where she was sitting. Insignificant and more decorative than functional. But for something like a koi, or a bug, it was probably huge. The biggest, longest bridge they'd ever see. Erected by some unknown miracle to grant access from one jungle to the next. It would save a tiny bug a long, perilous journey around the pond, safe from frogs and fish. So insignificant from a distance. So grand and important up close. Something that couldn't be ignored, and would surely instill regret, if it was.

She needed to cross that bridge.

The dark, quiet room was rather simplistic. Few things hung on the walls, and there was little to create a mess. A sign that he didn't spend much time in there, except to rest. A large bed, comfortable enough for him to sprawl out on, was positioned against the wall, under a window. The dark blankets were disheveled, and the pillows strewn, since he was sleeping when she knocked on the door. He was in the middle of rolling up a black shirt to pull over his head when he heard the quick pattering coming down the hall.

The dancing white and red butterflies skid into view as she darted past his open door, and then backtracked to stand in the doorway, catching sight of him. Hands gripping into the frame, she was panting lightly, as if she was searching for him for hours. Itachi froze with his arms lost in the sleeves, shirt hanging in front of him. Desparate eyes glittered at him.

"I don't want you to stop!" He heard her blurt, visage nothing short of frantic. Her hands slid down the frame, and then clasped in front of her anxiously. Afraid to enter his room, yet refusing to leave. Slowly, his arms pulled out of the sleeves, and the shirt was left to flop on the floor at his feet.

"Sakura..." A deep voice began, soft but stern.

"No! I meant it! This is all your fault, and yeah, you should be sorry! But you can't stop! Not now! Please..."

"I can't stop what?" He asked cautiously, striking her with a hard, unreadable gaze.

She panted some more, face flushing a light pink, and then threw her hands down in exasperation as she fidgeted. Nothing was lost to him. Catching the tiniest movements and expressions, as if he was hiding behind that ANBU mask, learning his opponent. Whatever she was trying to say, she would have to verbalize it crystal clear. He would read her down to her core regardless, but he wasn't saying or doing a single thing until she could form her own words.

"Grrrahh! You drive me crazy!" She yelled suddenly. Tormented by the urge to stomp into the room and tackle him to the ground, and the compulsion to change her mind and flee.

Then, her shoulders slumped in tired defeat. "Doing what you do, Itachi... This... I don't know! You just can't promise to never..." Touch her again? She couldn't say it. It was too difficult to admit, even though that's exactly why she was standing there in front of him, blocking his exit and throwing a small fit. The thought of him leaving her alone, returning her to a life that didn't involve him in any way, she was now convinced was a far greater torture than a life where he made her head spin.

"You need to stop and think about what you're saying." His low voice, so far away and so composed, made her cringe as she stared with a crinkled brow at the floor.

"I've been thinking about it for months!" She cried angrily, chest heaving. Taking a single step into his room, leaving the light of the hallway, she looked up at him defiantly. Determined to get through to him with the fiery nature she showed him more than once already...and yet she was begging. In it's simplest description, that's what she was doing. If he had to be honest, it surprised him.

"I don't want you to stop." She insisted, forcing her volume to lower, yet keeping that same essence of unyielding conviction. Meanwhile, her heart was pounding, and she would lying if she said she wasn't terrified out of her mind...but she would reveal none of that, and as far as she knew, he would never sense it.

But he did.

The man that was the cause of all her headaches and all her pent up frustration moved toward her. She could never guess what he would do or say next, but she was firm in her position. There would be no change of heart. It took her a long time to come to this conclusion, but she was sure it was the right one, as insane as it was, and she was prepared for the consequences...or so she thought.

He caught her first hand in his, and then her second, drawing them away from her sides. She glanced him over questioningly, and he brushed into her, causing her to take a wobbly step backwards to regain her balance. Again, he pushed her lightly, and she stumbled further. The wall knocked into her from behind unexpectedly. The flood of golden light cascaded past them through the doorway, right next to her, but a million miles away.

"Are you sure about that?" A husky voice murmured, lips touching the shell of her ear, bare chest trapping her. Calloused pads smoothed over her wrists, keeping them still along the wall, and then slid over her arms. The soft fabric ruffled under his fingers as they traveled to her shoulders, and tickled up her neck to cup her face.

The fear was ebbing forward. Sizzling underneath the layer of confidence and melting it away, but she was unwavering. She wouldn't run from him. His hands gave her goosebumps in all the right places, and she gave a shaky sigh when she found she was unable to move. It was too much like the first time he trapped her against a wall, and it excited her now, rather than panicked her.

"I'm sure." The whisper was impossibly quiet, and she waited in anticipation when he seemed to pause. Thinking to himself...considering, weighing, analyzing all the options, and the series of events that could follow each. His thumbs rubbed small circles over her cheeks as he held her, fingers tightening slightly at the back of her head and neck. Their breaths mingled when he shifted in front of her, looking down at her parted lips, and then up into her eyes. Those black depths sank into her like hooks, shredding any mental barrier she thought she was safe behind, with a fierceness that surpassed her own. Infinitely more potent than the touch of his hands could ever be, and her breath hitched reflexively.

The building nervous energy erupted with a sharp laugh as she looked at him. Coming from a place that had been repressed for far too long. And no sooner than she laughed, a swift tug nearly rip her off balance as she was twirled in a circle and slammed against the wall, chest first. It knocked the wind out of her, and she stared wide-eyed with the cold surface pressing her cheek. Her arms were twisted behind her back, and she wiggled at first, trying to break free, before quickly realizing she wasn't going anywhere.

"You think this is funny?" A low, dangerous growl tickled the nape of her neck. She was too shocked to speak, at first. What was this...? His grip was a vice, and his hips crushed her. She had to breathe a little harder to get her lungs to open all the way.

"This isn't a game, Sakura. This is the last time I'm going to ask. Is this really what you want..." Body stilling, she felt one of his hands leave her arm and stroke down over her hip, and then lower. Moving far too slow as his fingers began inching up her yukata, bunching it up to reveal her leg. She paused intentionally, waiting to see what he would do next. When it was pulled high enough to expose most of her thigh, his hand slipped beneath the collage of color. Petting over the smooth, creamy skin and disappearing up between her hips and the wall.

"Ah!" She yelped, feeling his fingers brush softly over the thin fabric of her panties. He listened to her breathing pattern change, altered by the slightest touch. A startled, breathy gasp followed when he invaded with a firmer rub between the soft indent of her lips. Targeting her bundle of nerves.

"If you're trying to scare me away...it's not going to work." She panted, unaware of just how seductive she sounded, and he felt her hips grind into him wantonly. What was she doing... She was about to dive in over her head, but she couldn't stop it. He intimidated her, but she wanted nothing more than to feel him all over her, inside her, everywhere. There was no turning back. She was choosing this, despite the fear that continued to torment her with every move he made. Never knowing what he would do next, and yet loving every minute of it. She was, in a word, addicted.

His lips pressed into the back of her neck with a kiss, and then she felt him smile. No, it was more like a grin, as the slick surface of his teeth grazed her. "Good." The vibration warmed her, and she groaned in complaint when his fingers left the warm crevice between her legs.

She was yanked from the wall again with the same speed that had thrust her into it. Sakura glimpsed the room swish past her as she was thrown towards his bed. Tumbling into it, she would have caught her footing if the edge of the mattress hadn't smacked into her legs, sending her crashing down onto the mound of fluffy blankets. Disappearing amidst all the fabric with a soft oomph!

If she was looking to push his buttons, she found them. All of them. And now, he wasn't about to feel the tiniest bit of guilt for what he was going to do to her. She asked for it...literally...and it made the animal in him claw for freedom as he stalked over to the bed. She surprised him just as much as she surprised herself, but he wasn't going to say it didn't turn him on. Her hands wrestled the mess of pink out of her face, managing to look up just in time to see him tower over her at the edge of the bed, looking down at her with nothing short of barely contained, feral hunger.

The quiet tinkle of a laugh was just as nervous as it was playful, and he crawled over her, caging her between his knees as he knelt. Still wearing the same dark blue pants as before, though now there was a visible tent aimed at her. He traced the curves of her covered hips up to the slit of her chest, between layers of dark blue. Her arms were bent close to her fray of pastel hair, with curled, loose fists. She didn't move, save for the gentle panting of her chest, as if looking at him was enough to excite her.

Leaning over her, his lips swooped down to tickle hers, overwhelming her in his scent as it wafted from the blankets all around her, and now from above. Distinct his and masculine, she wanted it covering her. But when she leaned to kiss him, he shifted out of reach. Curious eyes questioned him, and he merely smiled. A dark, tantalizing smile that made her heart skip a beat. Stubbornly, she smacked a hand over the back of his neck to still him, and moved to seal his lips a second time, only to have him clutch her by the jaw and pull her head to the side. She gasped softly, and craned her neck as he attacked her throat. Peppering her with blazing hot kisses and the lap of a tongue. Biting and sucking ravenously.

She would move when he wanted her to move. That was his game. As much as he enjoyed seeing her more bold and confident side spark through, it made pinning her down and controlling her that much more fun. Fingers curling into his neck, she pressed him into her, the thudding of her chest beating into his as she arched her back. His spare hand wedged itself under her, tugging and loosening the bow of her obi so he could unravel it. Not completely, though. He didn't want her naked yet. There was something far more erotic about her being clothed, or at least half clothed.

His kisses savored down her collar bone and to the center of her chest, and she felt him lift her from the bed slightly. The tight red bindings that held everything together fell away, and her sleeve was pulled down, exposing her pale shoulder. His teeth nipped her gently, enough to satisfy his desire without hurting her. The other sleeve soon followed, and she found her arms being restrained by the mess of midnight cotton as he pulled them taut from behind, enough to trap her elbows at her sides.

The protective covering was nuzzled away from her breasts with his nose as he kissed lower, revealing the delicate pink buds that tightened in the air, and drew heated sighs from her as he suckled them into his mouth, one at a time. The perfect size for a handful, and nothing more. Soft as silk, and responsive to the lightest sensation. His tongue tickled her slowly, and she arched her chest higher with a groan. An explosion of heat was pooling between her hips, causing her to writhe against him. His own hips held her down, though they weren't immune to the caressing of her bare thighs around him, rising from the bed and rubbing high enough to press into his hips.

It was then that he understood she craved him as much as he craved her, and it afflicted him with an agonizing throb that he couldn't help but grind stiffly against her core. She reacted instantly, locking her legs around him and whimpering in a wordless plea.

No... No yet. He wasn't done exploring her.

Keeping one hand clutching the yukata at her back, he assaulted her with one last greedy, lathering kiss on her nipple, before lifting his hips and smoothing away the rest of the cloth that concealed her from him in a tangle. The strong thighs she wanted only to claim him with sloped up to a pair of black panties, and the scent of her hit him before the dark spot of her soaked desire did. He barely touched her yet, and already she was dripping for him.

A single digit stroked the length of her lips, and she bucked as soon as he rolled over that sweet spot in between. Sticky and hot, and he hadn't even taken them off yet. A frustrated moan made him smirk, and he eased down to waft a hot breath below her navel. Just as before, her abdomen tightened, sucking away from him, and he chased it with a clamp of teeth that made her jump. A slick tongue replaced them, and he licked her slowly, inching down a little lower with each pass. The tips of his fingers peeled back the thin shield, creeping them down her hips and thighs.

He could feel the changes without looking at her. She was unsure suddenly, a little confused, and it only made his smirk stretch farther. It wasn't that hard to believe she had no idea what he was doing. She wasn't exactly the promiscuous type. She would figure it out soon though...because nothing was going to stop him from devouring her.

She felt the jerk against her leg, and heard the faint rip. Looking down, her underwear was reduced to a flimsy black rag, encircling one thigh, as he was too impatient to pull it all the way down. "What are you—ahhh!" Her hips lurched up at the touch of something soft and wet sinking into her, but his hand promptly pushed them back down against the bed. His tongue played between her folds, coated in her own heat as he tasted her. Focusing on the tiny, stiff nub nestled inside them. Enough to make her squirm and gasp, without stimulating her too much.

"Oh...oh...oh no..." Her voice panted above him, seized by a shocking pleasure she never felt before. The thighs he admired clamped around his head impulsively, and she ground into him. It was like sharp, electric pulses shooting through her every time he passed that delicate button. Her arms struggled to free themselves, but he held them tight.

A deep growl rumbled from his throat. She tasted like heaven. Everything from her scent to the way she bucked and moaned drove him over the edge. He wanted so much more of her, but he was focused, and moved slow. Every so often dipping his tongue as far as it could reach inside of her, and stroking upward. Listening to the noises she made carefully, and for a reason. She cried out when his lips claimed her clit, sucking her gently into the cavern of his mouth. His hand slid from its firm grip on her hip to push her thighs wide apart, and two fingers thrust into her as he licked. Curling and pressing into a sweet spot buried beneath her wall as they moved in and out. Taking their time, and testing the places that pleased her the most.

Sweat beaded her hairline and soaked down her back. Her hands, trapped in the mess of her sleeves and covers, gripped into them tensely as she climbed higher and higher, unable to escape his beautiful torture. He touched her expertly, and she was going to pop at any second.

"Itachi..." She moaned breathlessly, but the eyes that observed her in all her exposed, helpless glory, did not belong to the raven-haired Uchiha. His eyes were closed while he savored her. Drinking her in like a dessert that was not to be shared.

The eyes upon her were spiraled red, hiding in plain sight. Chakra masked and assuming the level of stealth needed for a proper assassination, Sasuke disappeared back down the hall he came from. Only bothering to take a gulp of fresh air when he was far enough away for his rattling sigh to go unnoticed.

His back pressed against the wall at the other end of the house, he stared in horror at the empty space before him. He shouldn't have done that...he should not have done that... But he couldn't help it. He had to. The sounds coming from his brother's room were alarming, and on any other day, he would've bolted from the house to avoid what was going on. Today was different, though. He told Sakura to show up early on purpose, knowing no one else would be home. Their mother wasn't coming home until at least six, and she'd be the first one. As far as Itachi knew, he wasn't here either.

He planned this...and so it was only fitting that he be forced to bask in the hell he created for himself. He should have known better. But part of him never would've believed something like this would happen.

The images...for crying out loud. He was never going to get those images out of his head. He was shaking lightly, and he couldn't explain why. Hair shimmering around his face as he inhaled a little more raggedly than he should have. He saw her. Peeking around the corner into the dark room, he saw her pinned down, small pink tips perking into the air as she arched her chest, arms strapped by the excessive fabric held at her back. Bare legs pushed apart with his brother's face buried into her hips.

Closing his eyes, he tried to focus, but it was almost impossible. He wasn't prepared for this. He wanted the truth. He suspected something. But he just wasn't prepared for what hit him. It wasn't the yukata so much, though Sakura was downright paranoid about it. It was her actions and reactions. It was the way she looked at him, and changed tunes so suddenly when he did notice her yukata. The way she tried to avoid him. The fact that Itachi was practically in the process of ripping her clothes off when he walked into his hospital room. The guilt and the anxiety she exhibited when he dragged her out for lunch at Ichiraku's. The fact that he caught her masturbating, yes, masturbating, when he showed up at her house that night, after getting caught red-handed with Itachi in his room. Okay, that part wasn't as obvious, but holy crap did he remember it. He knew what she was doing when he hopped up to her window, and it took everything he had not to react to the sight of her touching herself. To play it off like he was none the wiser. That was awkward. Now this...this was a million times worse.

A particularly loud moan reached him, resonating through the house in a haunting, exotic tune. He snapped his eyes open, unable to see the tint of red in his face, but he could feel it. It burned. Throbbed with a relentless fire as blood pooled to the surface...and it wasn't alone. A hand grabbed at the front of his pants, readjusting himself, but there wasn't enough room. It was too tight in there now. He felt the overwhelming urge to get out of there, but he didn't move from his spot.

With a firm, teasing swirl of his tongue, Itachi lifted his head to gaze up at her, past the slopes of her heaving breasts, glistening in a light sheen of sweat, to her desparate, gasping lips as she tossed her head to the side. Ceasing his torment just before she could find her release. Her eyes opened, appearing drunk and dizzy as she blinked in confusion. They looked down at him in disbelief once she realized he wasn't returning to his spot to finish her off.

"Noooo, don't stop..." She groaned pitifully. "Please don't...Kami...it felt so good..."

He buried his lips between hers and kissed, eliciting another jerk of her hips as she whimpered. Her head threw back into a damp pillow as she tried to catch her breath, brow creasing in annoyance. The constricting binds of her arms loosened, and she faintly sensed him moving below her. The confines of his pants were discarded, left to tumble off the bed to the floor.

His legs pushed hers, opening them wider. She was drenched, pooling into her yukata, the sheets, and down her thighs because of him. The head of his cock nudged against her as he crawled over her. Too high to slip in, but at just the right angle to rub into her clit. Instinctively, her hips locked into him, begging him to take her. The slightest movement sent her shivering uncontrollably as she throbbed against him. The arms he released were soon trapped in a different position, spread high above her head with him securing her wrists down.

"Sakura." He whispered, breathing into her mouth as he hovered above her, stifling her with a strange aroma that could only belong to her. "Look at me." Her dizzy lashes fluttered open at his request. Lost in a world of lust that he could easily quench, and yet refused.

Then he filled her. A single thrust piercing as far as it could go, stroking a line of fire inside her as she clenched around him tightly and cried out loudly. He watched her eyes squeeze shut again, inflicted with a pleasure more intense than she was used to. Everything was heightened from his shameless teasing now, and as he rocked slowly into her, she felt her inside squirming in a sensation that made her want to claw at him. If only her hands weren't mashed into the bed, useless.

One of them lifted away and hooked behind her knee, pulling her leg up a little higher. The other followed without his guidance, and he panted. Her sheath could have brought him crashing down on top of her, if he wasn't careful, as tight and hot as it was...and so wet. His muscles flexed, tensing as he fought the urge to slam into her roughly. She was so small, hugging him in a perfect fit he hadn't felt in far too long. He throbbed inside her dangerously, but he kept his pace steady. The pleading noises she made for him drove him crazy. He wanted more of them...and that's exactly why he was going to keep taking his time.

The slap of his hips came a little quicker, jolting her with a delicious pressure deep inside that made her quiver. Grinding deep enough to press into her clit at times. Still never enough to push her to her limit. Only enough to make her moan for more.

"Please don't..." She panted weakly between gulps of air.

"Please don't stop..."

It was returning. The buzzing high that promised her a shock of rolling ecstasy, should he allow it. He angled into her with a purpose, pumping her gradually into a weightless mush of puddy that would bend and mold to his will. She was getting so close...

"Nnnn...ahhh!" She wailed suddenly with a twist of his hips, eliciting small, excited spasms from her. This feeling he milked from her dominated everything. Nothing else mattered except this moment. She'd do anything to keep him from stopping.

And of course, that's why he stopped again.

Sakura growled heatedly, hands clenching into fists when she felt his hips still against hers. She wiggled as much as he let her, begging him for more. This was beyond cruel...he couldn't do this to her... That was the second time she almost lost herself, and he halted.

"Itachi, please..." She whispered helplessly, gazing up at him in a glow of exhausted lust. Sticky with sweat that covered her from head to toe, panting under him in an indescribable need as he held her down. The strands of dark hair tickled her cheeks as he lowered, brushing his lips across hers gently. She knew better than to try to kiss him this time.

"Please what..." He whispered back, and gingerly set his teeth around her moist bottom lip to tug.

"I can't take this." She sighed, and he smiled slightly. He loved when she said that, and unbeknownst to her, she was only sealing her fate.

The rigid imprint of his fingers left her captive wrists, and he pulled out of her with a groan. Hard as a rock, and with a willpower even harder.

"I'm going to kill you." Another whisper, one that made him give a sharp laugh that was as unexpected as her own words.

"Will you?" He taunted, husky and devious into her ear, and left her with a kiss on her neck.

She sprang to life, using her newly found freedom to lunge into him with the intent of flipping him onto his back. The only thing she managed to do, however, was gasp as he caught her and smashed her down onto her own stomach, with the ease of tossing a pancake. A growling scream muffled into the pillow her face was now hiding in. How did he move so much faster than her?

He straddled her hips immediately, one hand firm between her shoulder blades, the other catching one of her hands to lock into the bed at her side.

She shouted his name into the pillow, and he swooped down to nip at her earlobe. "Relax." A simple command, and she obeyed with another growl of unwilling defeat.

He sat there a moment, making sure she wouldn't try anything sneaky, and then ripped the pillow out from under her. She gasped, turning her cheek into the mattress and glaring at him over her shoulder. His weight disappeared, and he slipped a hand under her hips to guide them up. The pillow was stuffed under her, keeping her raised slightly and cushioned as he nudged her legs wide. His fingers curled into her hair, keeping her still as a sharp thrust drove into her. She moaned instantly, the anger breaking apart into nothing as the blinding lust returned, like a wave cresting over a jagged rock. There was no hope of return.

"Oh Kami.." She sighed, pulsing and bucking back into him as he found a better, deeper angle inside her. The surge of fiery chills swept along her spine and through her limbs. His hips moved impossibly slow, but deep, and somehow it was better than anything she felt before. She moved in time with him, once again at his mercy with whimpers and pleas. He sucked in his breath, struggling to stay focused. A paced, yet forceful rock replaced the crude slapping of wet flesh. Invading her in all the right ways.

His hips slowed again, and she chocked an exasperated sob.

"Itachi!"

He remained within her, bending low to suck her shoulder gently. "Tell me what you want." He murmured quietly, with no sign of giving into her the way she couldn't help but give in to him.

"Please don't...I can't..." She sobbed some more, a hysterical laugh that could do nothing but resign to whatever he wanted.

"Tell me." He kissed along her shoulder to her neck, biting lightly. As he eased lower, a hand slipped under and cupped her breast. A single buck of his hips shocked her with a moan.

"I want you!" She cried out in despair, and he bucked into her again. Her walls tightened around him briefly with another whimper, and his grip tightened a little more on her hair.

"Mmm..." He hummed curiously, and then decided that wasn't enough. "What do you want me to do?" His voice melted over her like butter, and her hips squirmed for his touch.

"Please make me cum..." She choked in a quiet whisper, something she never imagined would come from her mouth, but it did...and she didn't care anymore. His lips closed over a pink welt that was forming over the slop of her shoulder, and she could have sworn she felt him purr against her.

The hot, damp bed disappeared as he lifted her effortlessly back onto his lap, her own weight sinking her even deeper over his throbbing cock, hidden within her. She gasped loudly, and found herself riding him without instruction. Free to move as she pleased. The hand gripping her chest pet down the quivering length of her bobbing stomach, and searched between her lips below. Sakura cried out as he pinched her small bundle lightly, and he pulled her head back by a handful of hair. Left to lay back against his shoulder while his breath tickled over her. The hips that did a thorough job at driving her insane pushed up to meet her thrusts.

Before she knew it, reality disappeared. Somewhere close by, she could hear someone screaming in unrestrained passion. It sounded like her, but she was so far away. Darkness was all she knew as her eyes shut, but it was quickly swallowed by an eruption of flickering lights that kept no pattern. She felt herself vibrating from her curling toes to the taut scalp under a clenching hand.

A growl that was deep and guttural filled her ear. The mattress came flying up at her, and she would have bounced if he wasn't slamming down into her, thrusting with a rough, insatiable need while her walls continued squeezing him, shuddering in an orgasm that just wouldn't end. It was nothing like the first time. Far more powerful, and she squeaked and whimpered.

A searing heat burst inside her, quite literally flooding her with a tingling warmth that made her lock her hips against his and writhe as he pushed deep enough for her to ache. He collapsed onto her back, panting just as hard as she was with a bead of sweat dripping from the tip of his nose. She felt too good. He didn't want to move. But it was little in comparison to the alien world she was drifting away in. She couldn't see, she couldn't feel anything but damp heat and tingling energy. Far too exhausted to move, she felt like she was spinning in space.

"Mmmphh... Itachi..." Her soft, distant breath reached him below. "Your family...they're gonna be...home soon..." It alarmed her vaguely, but she still couldn't move. Everything except breathing took far too much effort.

"We have time." He murmured in reassurance, in no more of a hurry to move than she was.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

"I told you not to do it. I told you not to go in there...but you did anyway."

Sasuke was sitting, back against the wall of his own house outside, and far away from his brother's room. Chakra still concealed. His knee was bouncing erratically in unrelieved tension, a fixed stare that was a little too intense aiming down at the ground. Was it a murderous stare, or something else? Shisui wasn't sure, but this was bad. He could feel it in his bones, and at the moment, he had no idea what to do. This had to be one of the most awkward positions he'd ever been dragged into. If only he'd known ahead of time...

"If I knew this was what you meant by investigating, I would've saved you the trouble."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sasuke turned his intense, unwarranted look onto the older Uchiha sitting next to him.

"You thought something was going on between them, right?" He stared back calmly, cheek in hand while his wavy hair blew in the wind.

"Yeah, but I didn't expect this." He growled under his breath, and Shisui blinked at him.

"Well what did you expect, Sasuke? If that was the case, why the hell did you lead her to your house where she would end up alone with him? What did you honestly think would happen?"

His eyes sealed shut as a flash of anger ignited. His knee stilled, and he took a few controlled breaths, yet they didn't help as much as he hoped they would.

This was just dandy. In about an hour, they would both have to be present in that house, acting like everything was fine. The kid was talented, and he had some bright ideas, but this was not one of them.

Shisui shook his head slowly, much more aware and accepting of his fate than the jittery, hot-headed mess next to him was. Everything that he was known for—the cool attitude, infuriating apathy, solid confidence—was all out the window right now.

"Next you're gonna tell me he doesn't know you were there."

His eyes shot up, leveling him an incredulous look.

"He doesn't know I was there." He muttered darkly, though there was a shock of panic in his eyes.

Shisui laughed quietly. "Oh, right. Sure. He has no idea you snuck up on him and watched him bang your teammate."

"He doesn't! You really think he would've kept going if he knew? He's the reason I learned that trick in the first place. It's the easiest way to get the upper-hand when we're sparring. He has eyes on the back of his damn head."

"Exactly. He does have eyes on the back of his head. I guarantee you, he knew you were there." Shisui argued, resolute. There wasn't a shadow of a doubt in his mind. If Sasuke really thought he could pull the wool over his eyes that easily, he was in for a sore surprise. The fact that Itachi didn't stop could easily be the revenge in itself. Be careful what you wish for...

"Hn..." His hair swished as he looked away, knee beginning to bounce again.

"Oh and thanks, by the way. You've officially set the stage for the most uncomfortable dinner in the history of our clan." That could be an exaggeration, but for the present moment, it reflected Shisui's inner turbulence.

"I'll see you soon." He muttered, rising to his feet and brushing the dirt off his butt.

"What? Where are you going?" Sasuke stared up at him, as if he were afraid of being left alone to the destruction of his own thoughts.

"It's five-thirty. I don't have to be here until six-thirty. I'm going home."

"You can't leave now." He snorted, as if he owed him something.

"Look, Sasuke..." He began with a heavier than usual sigh. "I just snooped around your house with you and listened to your friend—teammate—secret love interest—I dunno scream things I don't feel like repeating for about an hour. I need to go for a while..." And he was going to leave it at that.

A sympathetic pat on the top of Sasuke's head signaled his retreat, and his eyes narrowed on the back that ambled on down the road towards his home to do who the hell knows what, but he wasn't about to let his imagination wander.

Growling, his hands clawed up into his silky hair and held his forehead as he tried to figure out what to do next.


	9. A Lover, A Friend, & A Hunter

A light, tinkling laugh carried down the hall, filtering through the serenity that blanketed her in a false sense of security. The feminine sound hovered curiously in her hazy mind for only a split second, and then her eye snapped open. Ripped from her quiet snooze before she even had the chance to dream. At first, she laid deathly still, listening intently. Hastily refocusing on the world around her like a startled animal unsure of whether to fight or flee. The scent of sweat engulfed her, reminding her of why she was there, and what caused her to doze off in the first place. A salty, potent mix of pheromones and something intoxicating, masculine. Smothering her, and all of the blankets and pillows surrounding.

"Itachi?" She whispered sharply, and rolled onto her back to look around. Silence and darkness. The tidy room was a cocoon of shadows with the door closed, and the messy, sex-stained bed she was laying in was otherwise empty.

Gone.

Alarmed and confused, the switch of self-preservation flicked on instantly, and she flew from the tangled mess of fabric and to the door, pressing an ear to it to assess the number of voices in the house, and their proximity. In the process, she hurled herself over a small, neatly rolled scroll that was overlooked and now lost within the bed by her quick, oblivious movements. The yukata hung from one arm while she concentrated, the cherry red obi unraveled and hanging off the side of the bed behind her.

A voice reached her after some straining, just as light and cheerful as the laugh that woke her. It had to be Mikoto. Then, a man's voice...but she couldn't make out who it belonged to. They were both too far away, and too muffled. How long was she sleeping? She never planned to fall asleep in the first place. Why didn't Itachi wake up her?!

Sakura turned around and scanned the room helplessly, scrambling to reassemble her clothes. Careful not to make more noise than necessary. Images of someone opening the door unexpectedly and discovering her half naked made her hands a shaky, hurried mess as she clumsily adjusted and tied her clothes back together. She didn't have a clue how Mikoto or Fugaku would react if they stumbled upon her, but Sasuke... There would be no escaping that bomb of awkwardness. No weaseling her way to safety when caught red-handed. There was probably a slim chance of anyone opening the door now, if Itachi was out there with them, but she wasn't in the mood to gamble something like that. She needed to slip out as soon as possible, without anyone seeing her.

Clothes in place, though a little haphazardly, she looked up at the closed window across from her and willed herself to breathe steadily. "No one knows you're here. Just relax, and sneak out, and..." And then...what? Her eyes glazed as she contemplated. Run home as fast as possible, change clothes, run back, and apologize for being late? All sweaty? No. "Uh... Damnit, Sakura, what the hell are you supposed to do now?" She hissed and closed her eyes, hitting a mental block. There's no way she could slip around to the front door as she currently was, and pretend all was well. The signs were everywhere. Too obvious to overlook. Her hair was a mess, and there was plenty of evidence of...stuff...on her clothes. Not to mention, they were wrinkled now. And the smell...that had to be noticeable.

She began chewing on her bottom lip vigorously, and glanced at the door over her shoulder. Wait for Itachi to come back in? It's not like she could wear any of his clothes without rousing some serious suspicion. Unless he could magically pull a dress out of his ass, she was in trouble no matter what. Waiting around was wasting time, and too risky. Geeze. She was so good at staying out of trouble, before she got mixed up with him. Now life seemed like an endless roller-coaster of emotions and subterfuge. Rather, attempted subterfuge. She didn't know how much longer she could pull the wool over Sasuke's eyes. He picked up on things fast, and by now she was sure he suspected  _something_  weird, whatever it was.

"Screw it." The window slid open quietly, and she peaked out into the garden. Good, it was empty. She climbed out, and landed in a crouch on the porch, cringing slightly as her feet made a louder noise than she meant for them to. All the doors and windows leading to the enclosed paradise were shut, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Creeping to the edge, she eyed the roof above and nibbled some more on her lip, paying no mind to how sore it was getting. She hopped up, snatching onto the ledge, and pulled herself up with a grunt. With any luck, everyone would stay on the other end of the house, and she could pull off being the stealthy ninja she was supposed to be, and drop down the other side without anyone noticing.

A few seconds later, she emerged onto the main road from around the side of the sprawling home. Only half the battle was over, but she already felt a little better as she fidgeted her yukata, trying to make it lay a little nicer. "This has got to stop." She muttered to herself, grateful that no one was giving her any strange or worried looks yet, as she walked with as much calm and confidence as she could fake down the road. There had been too many close calls for her, and she was tired of being stressed out. Damn Uchihas... Life was so much simpler without them, and yet she had to admit, much less exciting.

Now she was left to decide her next step. Rush home and back, and make up some lame excuse for being late—but she didn't like that one, because she would be  _too_ late. Obnoxiously late—or possibly run to the nearest clothing shop and buy something real quick. Were any of the stores still open, though? Gah, probably not. It was almost six-thirty already. Maybe she'd get lucky, though.

Either way, she was going to be late now, and possibly end up canceling on them as a last resort. There had to be some kind of excuse she could make up that they would forgive. But now she felt bad... There was no way she could avoid being rude and inconveniencing everyone at this point.

"Uhg!" Her rushed pace slowed as her hands smacked over her eyes. Distraught. Guilty. Perplexed. She was always confused now, and it was getting old. This sucked. How did Itachi make life so hard for her all of a sudden?! Or was she just being a dramatic baby...? She couldn't blame him for everything. That wouldn't be fair. Yet there was a definite pattern here, and she was desperate to break free.

"...a-ahhh...mm..." The faintest noise caught her attention. One she almost ignored, except it was so close to her, and sounded rather awkward. Sakura moved her hands to look up, and her feet halted so fast she almost fell over herself.

Shisui was in front of her, with a very telling look of dismay, as his wide eyes met hers. So many things tumbled over her at once. Her mouth fell open, and she gaped at him, as if  _he_  were the spectacle, while her insides tossed around cold confetti. Certain places suddenly felt more clammy than they were a moment ago, which made her even more gross. What she wouldn't give for a shower.

She thought she was safe...she really did... Oh Kami. This was going to be interesting. At least Sasuke wasn't anywhere in sight. Should've known better than to drop her guard until after she was out of the land of Uchihas.

"Wha...uhm...what are you...doing here?" A frail voice, managing to break just above a whisper, asked him tentatively. Cold and mildly sticky hands bunched into the fabric at her sides. This was it. The cat was out of the bag. She had nothing...nothing at all... No possible explanation for why she was headed out of the Uchiha compound, when she was supposed to be arriving at their doorstep, looking like a walking disaster. Even if there was a story she could throw at him, a hidden jewel that would make everything snap into a believable scenario to cover her ass, she was in no state of mind to sum it up. The moment she looked up and saw his face, her brain all but dissolved into a useless soup within her skull.

Shisui was still gaping right back at her quietly, though unlike her, his mind revved into overdrive, while his mouth parted in wonder. No useless soup there. The distracted look of his was a product of just how fast he was thinking now.

No response.

Did she look as bad as the expression on his face implied she did? Sakura fidgeted nervously, and looked away in shame. "...Uhmm... I had a...I...there was..." Brain-soup, come on! Be useful! Dire circumstances need your urgent assistance!

A hand darted out to grab her wrist, and when she looked up, she was already twirling in a half-circle and being led at a jog down the street. "Uh...Shisui?" He was moving with a purpose, and still said nothing. Sakura looked around at the houses they passed, and then he turned abruptly to pull her down a shortcut in between two of them.

"Where are we going?"

"Stay here." He ordered, and Sakura watched him curiously as he left her in the shade of the side of an unknown house...more of a small alleyway. There was enough cover there that she wasn't so exposed, which was nice. Her chaperone disappeared around the corner ahead, presumably to the front of the house, and she heard a knock on a door. The voices were soft, and it was hard for her to hear the exchange, but it sounded like a woman answered. She kept her back against the cool wall, awaiting her fate as the seconds stretched on. Was this his house? Wait...would he have to knock on the door to his own house? Maybe not. Where were they?!

Someone was laughing. Both of them? Whatever their conversation was, it sounded light-hearted and...well, quite frankly like it had nothing to do with her. But, she waited...and waited...aaand waited. There was nowhere else to go. Her hands busied themselves with her nails, picking at them and cracking her knuckles. Occasionally, she pressed her ear to the wall to see if she could hear any better, but the words were lost. Too many obstacles between them.

They paused. Dull thumps of movement through the house. Then a girly voice again, and another laugh. The door shut finally, and Shisui returned with a wad of fabric folded neatly in his hands, walking more slowly this time. The pale blush on his face made her pause, and she eyed him apprehensively. "So...uh...what was that?"

He sighed quietly, gave her a sharp look for a second, and then plopped the clothes in her hands. "I don't normally keep track of favors, Sakura...but let's just say, you owe me." A suspiciously polite smile flashed at her, and she wasn't sure if it was forced or not. She looked down in surprise, and unraveled the layers he had given her, revealing a simple but stylish short-sleeved dress in dark green.

"Hurry up and change, we're already late." He turned his back to her, arms folding across his chest. She had to admit, she wasn't expecting this...and though she was a bit stunned, she kind of wanted to hug him to death. But he was right, they were late.

A wary gaze checked both exits of the alley, ensuring no one was watching them from a distance, and then glanced at his back. He fell silent again, and she sensed this was just as awkward for him as it was for her, and that she needed to pick up the pace before it got even more awkward. But it couldn't be nearly as bad as trying to sit through a family dinner in what she was currently wearing.

The spoiled yukata and obi were shed quickly, and she pulled the clean dress over her head before anyone could walk by and spot them. Trying not to think about it too much, so she wouldn't turn into a steaming tomato in the process. It was a little loose in a couple places, but not so much that it looked unkempt on her. Good enough to get her through the evening. Too bad she didn't have time to shower somewhere, but this was the web of karma she had woven.

Then a thought struck her, and she looked at the mass of short ruffled hair next to her. "How did you convince some girl to give you her clothes?"

"Don't be nosy...and she's my neighbor." He chided lightly, and she began to pick up that his discomfort was a result of the conversation he had, and not because he was annoyed with her. Hopefully...

"Heh...s-sorry. …...You know...this...isn't what it...looks like." Adding even more quietly, she inspected the hem of her new dress, and debated whether or not it would be safe to bend forward for any reason while wearing it. Her underwear was gone, thanks to Itachi. Left behind in his bedsheets somewhere, torn and worthless. The end of the dress reached her knees though, so she should be safe as long as she didn't do any crazy acrobatics.

"Please don't insult me." He countered softly. Stern, yet there was no real hint of anger. "You can lie to Sasuke if you want, but I'm not stupid, Sakura."

She didn't know what to say. It was so cliché, wasn't it... How could she expect him to believe something that dumb? Obviously, it was exactly what it looked like. On the one hand, she felt like a scolded, ignorant child embarrassed for being caught. On the other, there was strangely relief. A lot of relief. Like, hoisting an elephant off your shoulders kind of relief. If he knew without a doubt what was going on, then he was one less person she had to lie to, and it was so liberating. She hated lying, and hated trying to be sneaky...and honestly, she just wasn't that good at it anyway.

"...Oh...so...okay, uhm...what do you know?" Hesitant eyes crept over him. He took her chattiness and lack of rustling fabric as a sign that she was finished, and turned around to face her. They watched one another, and he thought for a moment to himself, before smiling. This one was a real smile—an embarrassed one—and it appeared against his will, as he recalled something he truly didn't want to think about at the moment. It snuck up on him before he could smack it away, and now that bumbling he exchange he just had with his neighbor was topped with pictures of Sakura and his best friend in vulgar positions.

"I know enough."

"What does  _that_  mean?" She grilled him, though as soon as the words came out of her mouth, she decided she didn't want to know.

Stubborn lips squirmed slightly when she pried him, and he prayed his face wasn't turning red. His cheeks were prickling though...of course they were turning red. "We don't have time for this. Come on." He slipped past her, and she adjusted her shoes before trotting up behind him.

"Right, sorry... Hey, thanks for doing this. I...I have no idea what I would've done if you hadn't shown up."

"Yeah, where were you going anyway? Were you just going to walk home without saying anything to them?"

"What was I supposed to do? Walk out of his  _room_ and say, 'Oh hi, Mrs. Uchiha! Yeah I'm already here. Hey, can I use your shower? I'm kind of messy because your son ruined my clothes.' "

"No, but you don't stand up an entire family that's throwing together a dinner in your honor. You might as well slap them all in the face."

Sakura sighed loudly as they walked down the road towards the house she just escaped from, keeping their conversation hushed every time they passed someone. Way to make her feel worse. "I know! But...I didn't know what to do!"

"I have a date because of you." He threw at her.

"Wait, what? How did I get you a date?"

"That dress..."

Sakura gawked at him, and then tried to stifle a laugh. "What? You exchanged a date to borrow this dress?"

"I avoided her advances tactfully for three years, before this happened. It wasn't easy." He emphasized, like this was entirely her fault.

Sakura's failing attempt at hiding a giggle ceased altogether, and she blinked. "Oh... Really? Crap...I'm sorry. Uh—"

"Don't worry. You owe me, remember?" He peaked over his shoulder at her, a sliver of an eye that was almost scheming.

She sighed, slumping her shoulders. "Alright, alright. I get it. I owe you. I'm a terrible person."

"No you're not. You just make bad decisions sometimes."

"Bad decisions?!"

"Don't act offended. You could have easily avoided sleeping with him right before his entire family arrived to cook  _you_ dinner. Think, Sakura. You've already proven to be smart and capable. You should know better."

She sucked in her breath and fumed. Annoyed that he was right, and she could think of no argument to toss back in his face. She did make bad decisions sometimes. She never used to. This was a whole new territory, and she was having trouble dealing with it. He couldn't give her a little slack?

"How long have you been dating?"

"W-what? We're not d— I mean... Well, we just kinda... I dunno..."

Their game of follow the leader stopped in the middle of the road when he turned around. She found him leveling an inquisitive and suspicious look down at her, and she fumbled to slam closed her book of muddled emotions written all over her face before he could read into her too much, but something told her it didn't matter. It was too late. He looked disbelieving, but was distracted before he could speak, and she watched his eyes travel up to the top of her head.

"...What?"

A hand reached for her cautiously, and hovered in the air between them unsure. She pat herself on the head, trying to feel whatever it was he was inspecting so closely.

"You should fix your hair a little before we knock on the door." He muttered, and touched a few strands delicately, as if he wanted to help, but he wasn't sure where to begin. A gentle breeze whisked by, fanning her dress and hair in his direction, and suddenly he took a step back and twitched his head to the side, like he'd been struck.

She paused in the middle of running her fingers through the disheveled locks, and stared at him. "Okay seriously, what is it?"

"Nothing." He insisted quickly, and turned his back on her.

She couldn't help but roll her eyes in frustration. "Shisui...I'd prefer you tell me, than finding out the hard way." Inwardly she was cringing in anticipation, but she had to know. If he was noticing something, others were bound to notice, too.

He considered her for a minute, licking his lips in contemplation, and then he turned and hesitantly leaned closer to whisper. "You smell like..." She waited, though there was no need to. His reaction, and inability to finish his own sentence, spoke volumes. Already dying inside, this couldn't be that much worse. It was something she was aware of...but it was distressing hearing someone else bring it to light.

"Is it...that noticeable?"

"Only when it's windy. Or when you're close to someone." Then he straightened his back and took another step away, exhaling audibly. "Ask to use the bathroom as soon as they let us in. You can wash up enough in the sink. It's not a bad smell, it's just...mm...his...mm...his parents would know...what it is." He faltered quietly. This had to be one of the most embarrassing conversations of his life, and he was having it was some girl he barely knew.

He started walking again, and ran his hand through his hair in a nervous gesture. What a fiasco. This wasn't something he ever pictured himself getting involved in, and it was more than a little weird. There were things he wanted to say, and things he wanted to ask her...things that might ease some of the tension, but this was the wrong place and wrong time. There was also the question of how much more involved he wanted to get in the first place. He didn't know Itachi was seeing anyone until now. His friend could be secretive, but this wasn't something Shisui expected to be left in the dark about.

He glanced behind him, realizing he didn't hear her footsteps anymore. Sakura was still trailing along, but several paces away, brushing through her hair some more, and shuffling with the enthusiasm of a prisoner toward the gallows.

"Hey..."

She looked up just as he set a hand on her shoulder.

"Relax. Act natural, be friendly, don't touch anyone until you hit the sink, and you'll be fine. We're sitting down and eating dinner. It's no big deal."

"Yeah..." She peeped and looked away. Hearing him, but having a difficult time believing him, and it was clear on her face she still thought something was going to go wrong.

"I mean it. Take it from me...life could throw a hell of a lot more complications at you. This will be a piece of cake. Consider it a different kind of training, and learn from it." His knees bent enough that he was eye-level with her, and dipped his head to get her attention, and she glanced back at him.

"I know... I just feel so unprepared. I have no idea what's going on between us...and now his parents, who just happen to be head of your clan, are thanking me and inviting me to dinner and they don't even know...and...it's intimidating...and...I can't get my head on straight...and...what if Sasuke finds out?" The riptide of worries she spent months drowning in all by herself were spilled on him. She was being more honest than she was comfortable with, since he was sort of a stranger, but it was uncontrollable. She did something right though, because she felt that invisible burden on her shoulders getting even lighter.

He was analyzing her again with his dark eyes, just like Itachi did, just like Sasuke did, only she didn't mind this time. She was tired of everything, and even more tired of trying to battle through it alone. "What makes you think Sasuke doesn't already know?"

Sakura blanched, and opened her mouth in a panic, but he cut her off.

"I'm not saying he does. Maybe...maybe not. But say he does know. What makes you think he even cares? You're worrying more than you need to. Take a deep breath, and just let it go. Live life one day at a time. And even if Sasuke cares, he'll get over it. They're brothers, Sakura. They're not married. Unless he's upset because he's attracted to you, then that's a little different, but it's still not your problem. "

His speech gave her some food for thought, and she visibly relaxed while she considered everything.

"You know what I think?"

"What do you think, Dr. Shisui?"

He continued, ignoring her jab, though he was beginning to feel like something of a psychologist. "I think this has nothing to do with Sasuke, or anyone else. I think you're afraid of your own feelings, and you're using him as a crutch. Stop being afraid. Fear and hesitation get you missed opportunities in life, and an early grave on a mission. Don't worry about their parents, either. You think they're going to be upset about you dating their son, after you saved his life?"

Her arms folded over her chest, and she gazed thoughtfully at him. "Why does everything you say make sense..." Now, that didn't account for the fact that she was not an Uchiha. That could be a problem. But there was too much for her to keep track of right now, and so it slipped her mind.

He shrugged.

Sakura smiled at him suddenly, her spirits much higher than they've been in a long time. Even if she chose not to regard some of his comments...like her fear of her feelings, and using Sasuke as a crutch. There was more to it than that, in her mind. Shisui knew so little about their situation, and she had to remember that. Though something told her he was aware of more than she thought he was. He did make her think, though. She had to wonder what reason Sasuke could possibly have for caring about her seeing his brother. In the end, maybe he would be happy, since she wouldn't be so focused on him anymore. Obviously he wasn't going to care because he was attracted to...he made it pretty clear she just annoyed him with her constant attention. Then her eyes lit up.

"Whoa... But I never said that Itachi and I were dating. I don't know what's going to happen. I haven't had a chance to really...talk about it, I guess. I don't even know if—"

"That's not something I can help you with right now. We've wasted enough time as it is."

"Right." She sighed, shaking her head to try to clear her mind, and then whisked past him to take the lead. More confident, and ready to get this over with.

Her new friend, as she was prepared to call him now, let her hop up the steps to the house first, and knock on the door with renewed ease. It was his turn to hide in the gloomy shadows, as he withdrew into himself. There was some guilt gnawing at him, of all things. Part of him wanted to tell Sakura that Sasuke already knew, and that judging by his uncharacteristic reaction to finding them rolling in the hay, he did care...though Shisui didn't know why. But again, how much did he want to get involved? He was already deeper than he preferred. This could be risky for him, if he wasn't careful. Drama and romance weren't his forte, especially when you combined the two. He would rather stand in the corner and quietly wait for the storm to blow over, taking minimal damage. But at the rate things were going, he might have to buckle down for the ride, and just deal with it.

When the door slid open, Sasuke stood in front of her. The overworked heart hiding in her chest skipped a beat, and she looked more surprised than she meant to when they made eye contact. Of course he would be home. He lived there, he was going eating with them, yet seeing him suddenly made her feel...funny. Not a good funny, either.

"Hey!" Chirping as friendly as she could and smiling, she tried to be the Sakura he was used to, and not arouse any suspicion.

"Hn." Was his overjoyed response. An uninviting statue that blocked their entrance, and gave no sign that he was going to let them in. That smile began melting slowly down her face when he left it at that, and his eyes swept over her deep emerald dress critically.

"Sorry, I'm probably late, huh? I hope your mom isn't mad. But Shisui's here too!" Shifting to the side, she revealed the older Uchiha standing on the last step leading up to the porch behind her. He and Sasuke looked at one another silently, and a moment passed between them that she couldn't define. Something electric and heavy hung in the air amidst the three, and she wondered if she missed something important.

"Yeah, you're late." He stated blandly, expressionless, and continued staring at the other man.

"...Is everything alright? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be late. Things just...happened." Sakura laughed lightly, persistent in keeping the mood elevated. Maybe he was just annoyed since this was the second time. Being twenty minutes late to their lunch a week ago wasn't very nice of her. She was starting to adopt Kakashi's habit, and she needed to fix that before she became known for it.

Pale lips smirked, and he cocked his head slightly, giving her a look. One she wasn't familiar with. It wasn't outright hostile, but there was something dark about it, and she unconsciously swallowed. "It's fine. Come in. Mom's still cooking anyway." The door snapped sharply as he shoved it the rest of the way open, making her jump. He glanced at it briefly, surprising even himself. Back leaning against the frame and folding his arms, he let her pass.

"Is that a new perfume?" He asked in a low tone when that musky scent wafted over him at her close proximity.

She froze in fear, and slowly looked at him over her shoulder as she slipped out of her shoes. Perfume?  _Perfume?_ Was he serious? "Uh...I'm not wearing any per—"  _Shit._ What was she supposed to say to that? They were both staring at her expectantly, and the mildly alarmed expression on Shisui's face didn't help her in the slightest. She was on her own.

"Actually, can I use your bathroom real quick?"

Sasuke's smirk was still aimed at her when he nodded, and she took off down the hall and around the corner, being sure to avoid the kitchen so their mom wouldn't stop her. Luckily, she didn't run into Fugaku either, and Itachi wasn't found in her short journey.

Shisui stepped through after she disappeared, and stood at his side as the door closed behind him.

"I found her walking home. She looked terrible. I borrowed a dress from a friend so she would come back with me."

A sigh filtered through Sasuke's nose, and it was hard to tell whether it was an agitated or amused one.

"What was wrong with her yukata?"

"Sasuke, don't."

"Don't what?" The younger man watched him with false innocence, and Shisui shook his head knowingly.

"I know what you're doing. Leave it alone for tonight. She's worked up enough as it is, and you don't need to get your whole family involved."

"I bet she is worked up..."

" _Sasuke._ "

A strict glare was exchanged between them, before he added. "I don't want to get dragged into this, either."

"Hn...You watched what happened. You got her a change of clothes. I'm sure you also got her to admit what was going on, since she had to face you like that. It's too late to back out now."

Shisui sighed, his frustration breaking through for the first time. A firm grip dropped onto Sasuke's shoulder, and held him for a moment as if to sink in a point. "Be respectful. If you're really that upset about her fucking your brother, then deal with it later, when there's no one around but the two of you. Let's also not forget the fact that she brought him back from the dead...understand?" Frustration even more evident in the language he used. "Why do you care so much?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I don't care."

"Don't lie to me." His voice lowered as he grew serious. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it's when someone tried to lie to him...or even bend the truth. Probably because he was so good at seeing through the average person's deceit, and it drove him a little crazy at times.

Sasuke snorted and pulled his shoulder away. "Whatever. It doesn't matter." He started down the hall, making it clear he had no interest in continuing their conversation now, or ever. Shisui let him go without a fight, and stood for a couple minutes longer by the door to cool down a little, and collect his thoughts.

After at least five minutes of running water, the sink finally shut off, and Sakura emerged from the bathroom far cleaner than when she entered. It was hard to spot-clean without turning the counter into a miniature water park, but she pulled it off using only one towel to dry things. There. Now no one could possibly comment on her 'perfume'. What a strange question...  _Is that a new perfume?_ If that's what Sasuke considered perfume, that was a little creepy. The good news was, he didn't—

"Where did you go?" A familiar voice derailed her train of thought, and a zing of electricity raced through her nerves as she swirled around to look up at Itachi. Long black hair hung around him, free from the ponytail he typically secured it in. He was fully clothed in loose blue pants and the long-sleeved black shirt he meant to put on earlier, before she barged into his bedroom.

"Me? You're the one that left me alone in your room and almost gave me a heart attack when I woke up! I had to climb out your window!" She accused heatedly, keeping her voice hushed in the empty hall.

Itachi looked confused at first, and then closed his eyes with a soft sigh. "Sakura...did you not see the scroll I left for you?"

"...Eh? What scroll?"

When he reopened his eyes, he looked at her a little harder. "There was a scroll next to you on the bed. It had a change of clothes, among other things."

She studied him with large eyes. "...There was? I didn't see anything..." Her voice grew quieter with every word, feeling rather dumb for thinking he would just leave her hanging like that. "But why didn't you wake me up? You just left me there!"

For that, he was guilty, and he glanced sideways as he answered. "You were tired. I didn't want to wake you. As long as I wasn't in the room, no one was going to come in, so I let you sleep for a few minutes."

"Uhhgg..." She groaned, at a loss for what to say. It was a nice enough gesture, so it was hard to be mad at him, but damn if the whole thing wasn't ridiculous...

"Wait, why would you have a change of clothes for a girl?"

"I'm assigned missions with girls, sometimes. You can fit a lot of supplies into scrolls, I'm sure you know. There's no sense leaving space in them."

"Alright fine. I guess I just...freaked out and missed it."

"It's a habit of yours."

"Huh?"

"You're a little skittish, Sakura, and you don't always react well under pressure. You need to work on that."

Green eyes glowered at him pointedly, wanting to protest, but feeling he was speaking enough truth.

"Where did you get that dress?"

"Oh... Erm... Shisui got it for me." A light, nervous laugh followed, and she rubbed the back of her neck. Itachi suddenly took a greater interest, as his face visibly lit up, and his lips parted. Then they closed, and he stared thoughtfully as he wondered.

"He's here too, we walked together. I ran into him on the road and...he...well he saved my butt, I guess. He's a really nice guy, you know?"

"Yeah...he is." He sounded a little far away, and that vague look of surprise lingered on him.

"I told him what happened." Admitting finally, she fidgeted more and watched him for a reaction. Unsure of how he might feel at the news.

Ironically, the shamefully handsome man in front of her didn't show the slightest recognition that he even heard her. He was silent. Sakura's fidgeting gradually died down, and she blinked at him. Waiting.

"I see."

Then, he was shifting past her, and wandering down the hall.

"...Itachi?"

"Has my mother seen you yet?"

"Er...no?"

He made a simple hand gesture for her to follow, and she obeyed, thoroughly confused. What the hell? Did he not even care that she told his best friend? Why did it always feel like she was playing ever-lasting guessing games with these guys? So infuriatingly mysterious.

"Sakura!" The small mother of two beamed when she turned from the stove to see her new favored medic standing in the doorway of the kitchen. "I'm so glad you could make it, I know you're a busy girl...and what a cute dress you're wearing."

She laughed, flattered that Mrs. Uchiha would bother to compliment her. Too bad it wasn't even her dress. She really liked that yukata, too...she'd have to sneak back into that alley later and retrieve it's dirty, crumpled heap, if no one found it and threw it out yet. Hopefully she wouldn't have say goodbye to a second one.

"Thank you! I'm honored that you would ask me to come. Is there anything I can help you with?" Mikoto flashed her a stern look as soon as she took one step into the kitchen, and Sakura's smile faltered. "Absolutely not, young lady. I would not invite you to dinner just to put you to work. You're a guest here. Itachi, won't you make her some tea? Sakura, you sit down and relax. I'll be finished soon."

He emerged from the shadow of the hall and slipped by, headed for the tea kettle without a word, as another voice piped up. "It's my fault we're late. I ran into her on the way here, and we started talking. I lost track of time." Shisui apologized sincerely, perfecting his lie like a true hypocrite...but this was an exception for him. He gave her a formal bow, and Mikoto dropped the long cooking chopsticks she was using to walk over to him.

"Don't be silly, dear. You're not late." She insisted softly, choosing to deny their tardiness for this event. While he was bowed forward, she ruffled his hair lightly, and kissed the top of his head. "Now go enjoy yourselves. If you want to eat, you can't be crowding my kitchen." She huffed, and returned to the stove.

"Yes, ma'am." He straightened and held his arm out, gesturing for Sakura to exit first. As she did, she missed Itachi observing them from under his dark lashes. Shisui gave him a slight nod before drifting out after her, leaving him to his assigned duty.

"Oh, Sakura?"

The medic poked her head back into the kitchen. "Yes?"

"My husband is working late this evening, but he will be home before you have to leave. I hope you won't mind. He's about a busy as you are." Mikoto smiled warmly at her...perhaps the true reason she didn't seem to judge them for being late. Hard to criticize when your family could be just as guilty.

"Oh, not a problem! I understand! I'm sure he has a  _lot_  more responsibility than me, actually!" She waved a hand in quick reassurance, and then scurried down the hall after Shisui, who brought them into a room she hadn't been in before. It was a simple, yet comfortable living room. A couple long sofas were positioned in an L shape, with a low table in front of them.

"You're really helping me out a lot tonight...thanks." She murmured as she flopped into the corner of one sofa, the emotional strain of the day showing on her tired face.

"Friends look out for each other." He stated as if it were nothing, and sat down next to her, with a little bit of space between them.

Her head turned to watch him from her lazy slouch. The cushions were nice and soft, and she wasn't about to waste their purpose with an erect, proper posture. Well, unless Mikoto came into the room. Then she would snap up like a soldier.

"Heh...friends?" She asked tentatively, though his words made her smile faintly.

"You mean something to him. Of course I'm going to consider you a friend." He smirked briefly. A little weathered like her, though nothing as close to what she was experiencing.

Something... Yeah... What exactly did she mean to Itachi? She didn't have a clue. But then, she still wasn't completely confident in her feelings toward him. Years had gone by, several  _years_ , of being so obsessed with Sasuke that she didn't think she'd ever look twice at another man. No one had ever interested her except him. Not even for a second. Then this happened, and it happened so damn fast, her head was still spinning too rapidly to make sense of it all. A serious talk was in store for their very near future.

Suddenly, she looked like she was going to be sick. Protection... They hadn't use any. That was another serious issue. If this...whatever this was...continued between them, she would have to address that problem. There's no way in hell she was ready to pop out a baby any time soon, regardless of who the father was. Oh man, she would be in so much trouble.

"What's wrong?" Shisui asked, watching her from the corner of his eye while he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.

"Nothing... I'm fine. Just kinda tired." She played it off weakly, and looked at him. His eyes told her that he knew she was lying again, but he kept his mouth shut, and glanced away. Fine. He was lacking the energy to pry at her. If she didn't want to talk about it, so be it.

"Tch. If you two looked any more sad, I'd ask who died." Sasuke quipped as his white t-shirt and blue pants passed to sit on the sofa diagonal to them. Acting as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"It's been a long day." Shisui explained, putting on an act with Sakura in the room. The younger man possessed a heightened awareness of the unique situation they were all trapped in, but he seemed remarkably at ease.

"Yeah, it has." He agreed, letting the thoughts of Sakura and Itachi tangled in sheets and rocking a bed into the wall hit him without any regret. That didn't mean the images didn't bother him, or affect him in any way, but his perspective was a little different now. In the short amount of time he had to mull over the things he witnessed, he was able to digest it all enough to reach a certain conclusion. And oh, had he witnessed a lot... After Shisui abandoned him to his misery, and walked home, something changed inside of him. He snuck back into the house, and mustered the gall to continue watching. Unusually capricious of him...and certainly perverse...but he didn't care anymore. This was  _her_  fault, he was convinced. If she hadn't acted like such a wanton whore, this wouldn't have happened.

That was a very disturbing thought to have, and yet it was his...even more disturbing that he was beyond reconsidering his calculation. It was a fact in mind. Perhaps a product of being so shocked, and exposed to something he wasn't ready for...but there it was, in all it's twisted glory. Currently, whether he was correct in his thoughts or not, he judged her as something inferior to the teammate she had always been. And yet, he couldn't comprehend his own hypocrisy, or his glaring double standard. For his brother could never be inferior...no...Itachi could do no wrong. He was always going to be the shining example; the role model for how to behave, how to train; how to be a shinobi worthy of the title, and a man worthy of admiration.

Poor Sakura was disarmed and unassuming as she sat there, enjoying the quiet atmosphere as utensils clinked in the kitchen, and the sound of a whistling kettle carried through the house. Too self-absorbed to pay as much attention to Sasuke, as he was paying to her..for once in her life. That was, until that eerie prickle along the back of her neck warned her that something was amiss. She looked up, and caught him staring her down with a pair of eyes that she swore could have shot lasers through her.

What she didn't notice, was the carefully guarded look Shisui was monitoring him with. Unsuspecting, yet on alert, and ready to intervene should a few choice words be spoken prematurely between the two teenagers. He didn't like the vibe the younger man was seeping. It was curiously extrinsic of him, but his intention was to do nothing more than observe, as long as he was able to. So troublesome.

The front door opened and closed unexpectedly, and the three silent brooders perked up and watched for a new body to appear. Fugaku paused abruptly, spying them as he made his way down the hall. On cue, they all stood, and Shisui immediately bowed. Even though he was family, he always chose to be excessively polite. Sakura followed suit, as she was slightly intimidated by the man for reasons unknown, and wanted to instill a good impression.

"Ah, Sakura." He started with a deep sigh, looking as tired as the rest of them, yet otherwise stoic. "Forgive me, my work often keeps me late." Stiff shoulders, hard eyes, and a mouth set into a rigid line that looked as if it would slump into a frown at any moment. She had an inkling his apology was only a show of courtesy he was accustomed to delivering without any hassle from his peers. And who would object to him? He was the head of their clan, and top dog of the military police. He could probably be late whenever he wanted, and no one would open their mouth. Well okay, maybe not  _whenever_ he wanted, but still...

"Oh please, that's not necessary! I completely understand." She beamed as cheerfully as she could, and he nodded gratefully as his eyes moved over her. Taking her in so quickly and precisely, she hardly had time to realize he paid her any attention at all...but he did it. He sized her up, for a purpose she couldn't understand, and then it was over. "Please have a seat in the dining room. Dinner should be ready soon." Then, he made his way into the kitchen. Keeping to himself his surprise that they weren't already in the middle of eating.

"I didn't expect you so early!" They heard Mikoto chime, and his deep voice rumbled words they couldn't make out as they filed into yet another room. So much for tea. Itachi seemed to take the hint, as he never showed up with the pot after the whistling died down.

The rectangle table was empty, and with enough chairs to fit all six of them. She chose a seat on one of the longer sides, and was pleasantly surprised when Shisui chose to sit directly next to her. Sasuke slid in across from him.

"Perfect timing. It's so nice when everything falls into place." Mikoto whisked into the room a moment later, carrying a cluster of steaming dishes in her arms that made Sakura do a double-take. The balance and strength that woman demonstrated almost made her laugh, as she began plopping down small bowls of rice and miso soup in front of everything. Her white apron was impressively clean as well, as if she'd just put it on. As she turned to raid the kitchen for the rest of the food, she ran into Itachi with a big bowl of vegetables as he came up behind her. "Will you sit down and let me do my job?" She scolded unabashedly, and he let her claim the bowl from his hands and set it in the middle of the table. Sakura looked down, pretending not to notice, but she couldn't keep the grin off her face.

Itachi squeezed in between Shisui and Sasuke, putting him at one end of the table, and surveyed the room quietly.

"She can order you to make tea all day, but Kami forbid you set the table." Shisui broke the silence with an inside joke that wasn't entirely lost to Sakura, and the older Uchihas exchanged subtle looks of amusement. He broke the ice, which was the main goal of that comment, and it helped settle the four of them. Even Sasuke took his acidic gaze off the girl who was in more trouble than she thought she was, and looked down at his lap with a smirk.

"I don't know any housewives that take their job as seriously as my mother does." Itachi murmured softly, successfully evading the ears of the proud woman that reentered a second later with a plate of fresh fish. She flitted in and out a couple more times, until everything was in its place, and then finally removed the apron to hang it on a hook in the kitchen. They waited patiently until she took a seat next to Sasuke, and Fugaku ventured out last to take his place at the other end of the table, between his wife and Sakura. The flak jacket was gone, as he had taken a moment to quickly change clothes into something more comfortable, and less...militaristic.

"...This is it? No whale?" He frowned, staring at the undeniably vast array of bowls, glasses, and hot food wafting its curtain of steam between them all. Sakura eyed him shyly, unsure of how to take his reaction. His disappointment was convincing. Mikoto, on the other hand, quickly snapped a look of subdued fury, and nudged him sharply under the table without giving herself away.

"If you want a whale,  _you_ go fishing for it."

His frown twitched into a faint smile, and Sakura felt half her muscles unclench in relief. "That won't be necessary. Everything looks perfect the way it is...as always."

Mikoto's barely contained sass melted into something content and harmless again, approving of his response. She looked up at everyone with a satisfied smile.

Sakura took a deep breath.  _Well, here goes nothing..._


	10. A Step In The Right Direction

The bowls were mostly empty, the steam from them had long dissipated, and Sakura was still alive. No death by embarrassment. No invasive interrogation. No obvious judgment from their parents. Negative judgment, anyway. While they enjoyed dinner, she ended up trapped in the limelight. Mikoto and Fugaku asked her to recount her night at the hospital when Itachi's corpse rolled in. They wanted all the details from her side of the story. Their father listened attentively, and she could tell he didn't miss anything she explained, or implied, or left to be discovered in between the lines. His interest came from a practical place. It was easy to piece together his intention of figuring out just what she had done differently than the others to bring him back. The honest truth, which she insisted in fairness, was that she possessed no unique or advanced skills that the other medics lacked. She simply...for all she could tell...blasted him with an abnormal amount of chakra, and his strong will to live did the rest of the work. Not even she knew where it came from, or how she managed that much of a drain without at least passing out. That kind of energy was a level bordering on Tsunade's, which some of the staff had begun whispering about in the halls, after that night. It made her uncomfortable. She didn't like standing out like a sore thumb. But at the same time, she was secretly proud of herself...just too modest to ever admit that.

 

Mikoto was just as hungry for the facts, but she seemed bothered by the story. The signs of pain and fear came and went on her sweet face and quiet face, as she tried to keep her emotions at bay. No mother, no matter how strong or proud, wanted to hear that their son was gone. Not for a second, let alone forever. Itachi could easily move out of their house by now, if he wanted to, and was a force to be reckoned with even by the lofty standards of the Uchiha clan...but he was her baby, and that was never going to change. They were a strict family, poised, and with high expectations, but they cared immensely, despite their consistent composure. That's what Sakura took away from their interaction, anyway.

 

She was so wrapped up in answering their questions, and choosing her words carefully, that she missed other things. Small, but important things. Like the change in Sasuke's manners. The glares, both short and long, had ceased. Acid and lasers replaced with utter disinterest, at first glance. He spent more time looking at his food, down at his lap, and glancing to Itachi, than anything else. In fact, he started going out of his way to avoid looking at her, like she wasn't in the room at all. But all of it was over her head. Shisui, on the other hand, noticed everything. It made him relax more, as he got the impression that his poisonous temper was fizzling away into something benign. Hopefully he would be nicer to his teammate from now on.

 

When all was said and done, there was no significant ammo for him against her. He was acting like nothing but an immature, arrogant brat who was just as bad at letting go of his protective nature over his brother, as Sakura was at dealing with stressful situations involving boys. Or maybe it wasn't his protective nature. Maybe he was pissed Sakura wasn't giving him attention instead, and he was too stubborn to admit it. Whatever. Shisui had some guesses, but he didn't feel like caring about it any more than he had to. He was prepared to keep tabs on them, if he sensed a disturbance, but his goal was to gradually melt back into a wallflower at the first opportunity. He wanted to say he regret ever showing up at their house earlier to help Sasuke play detective, but that wasn't all true. Given how volatile things felt now, it was probably good that he was in the know, and could step in if he had to. But that didn't mean he couldn't be annoyed by everything.

 

Let's not forget the disturbing fact that a couple hours ago, the mischievous twit had played the role of a voyeur for the first time. The dynamics had changed. The game revealed new facets now. Sitting next to his older brother was making him redirect his thoughts to something Shisui said earlier. _Did he really know he was watching them?_ He never would have thought that was possible, until Shisui mentioned it. Would Itachi let that happen? _Why?_ A part of him was on the verge of panicking, deep down. A slippery little eel thrashing inside, while the rest of him either burned in anger, seethed in jealousy for one reason or another, and struggled to overcome the cold shock of what he witnessed. 

 

Itachi was quiet, and gave no indication that he recognized a shift in the wind. His primary interest lied in the conversation Sakura was having with his parents, and he watched her closely. Her speech, which he was used to being hesitant and a bit submissive with him, was transforming into something more natural, and care-free. She warmed up to them easily, and after a time, she began to sound genuinely happy. Every now and then, he would catch Sasuke watching him from the corner of his eye, but he paid him no mind. That wasn't to prove his ignorance, however. In their short time spent together at the table—he, Shisui, and Sasuke—he picked up on a change between them. It was subtle, but he could taste it. A sense of unease, a little bit of tension, and Shisui seemed to gain some of the weight that had been lifted off Sakura's shoulders. None of this slipped by him, but he was biding his time.

 

Everything was swept under the rug when the conversation redirected into something more personal. Fugaku became the focal point, once he asked her what kinds of missions she had been on, and what she felt that she personally excelled at, aside from medical ninjutsu.

 

The finished bowls were collected one by one around him, disappearing from the table as his mother cleaned up. Everyone remained seated but her, positions more relaxed as Sasuke set his elbows on the table, and Shisui leaned back in his chair. Sakura was the only one sitting straight as a board, hands clasped neatly in her lap, and smiling as if she were in the process of a job interview. It would have been cute, but Itachi was overlooking her now. His unreadable gaze digging into his father across from him.

 

“I've been on all kinds, actually. It's hard to keep track of them all...” She rattled off the ones that stood out to her the most, some B and A rank missions that had challenged her at the time. Unable to see why any of this would matter to someone like him, unless he was just carrying polite conversation. She didn't see him being the type of person to talk more than he wanted to, however, or delve into a subject that didn't interest him for a good reason.

 

“I spend most of the days training under Tsunade right now, so I haven't been going on very many.” Fugaku nodded slowly, taking his eyes off her to lose focus on the table in front of him. He was also thinking harder than someone who was just engaging in polite conversation. It peeked her curiosity, but she didn't know him well enough to see where this could be going.

 

Itachi had an idea, and it was one he didn't like. His mouth was shut, but not necessarily out of respect. He was waiting for more evidence to unfold, and searching for anything he might have missed that would prove his suspicions wrong. He wanted to be wrong, but that didn't happen very often. It didn't help that the little secret Shisui slipped Sakura, about 'ANBU stuff', had yet to come to his attention. That's what happens when you spend the last couple weeks recovering from serving as Death's target practice. He spent more time mashed under blankets and pillows snoring, than functioning like a normal human being. That piece of info wasn't fundamental in knowing what his father was up to, though. He did raise him, after all. And though Fugaku was not a part of ANBU himself, he did have multiple connections, and influence. A spiderweb of puppet strings that extended all over Konoha.

 

“I heard you can snap trees like toothpicks.” Mikoto called her out from the kitchen, sink trickling with water as she soaked the dishes. Sakura blushed faintly. She didn't expect them to know the specifics of her abilities. Until recently, that was the case. Saving their son put her on their radar, and since that night in the hospital, Mikoto most certainly picked Sasuke's brain about his pretty and capable teammate that he almost never talked about with them.

 

“Ah, yeah, heh...I've done that.” She admitted coyly, an accusing glance flitting Sasuke's way. He was already looking at her this time, but still lacking the underlying aggression.

 

“It sounds like we have a little Tsunade in our midst!” She called again, the playfulness evident in her tone. Sakura smiled, though remained humble. “I have a long way to go before I can compete with Tsunade.”

 

“Then it's your goal to surpass her?” Mikoto pressed slyly. Sakura back-peddled a little. “I'm afraid that's biting off way more than I can chew right now.” She laughed lightly. “But I'm always looking for ways to improve.” There, short and sweet. She sounded sincere and hard working, without being full of herself. Funny to think she cared so much about their opinion of her. They were just a family...like any other family in Konoha...and yet she couldn't shake instinct to impress them. It could very likely stem all the way back to her early years with Sasuke. Going out of her way to be close to him as much as possible, always looking for ways to steal his attention, if only for a moment. Craving his approval on everything. If that was the case, she needed to take a good hard look at herself, and make some changes. Her worth wasn't determined by anyone but herself, and she forgot that sometimes.

 

“What about your weaknesses?” Itachi asked suddenly. A question that seemed rude, blunt, and without remorse. Though his voice was low and free of malice, everyone paused to watch him. He was looking calmly at Sakura, and she felt a cold stab at her ego.

 

“...My...uhm... Well,” She began, brushing off the unusual question, and trying to answer it politely and friendly. “I'd say my greatest weaknesses are speed, and being stealthy. Recon missions and anything that requires me to lay low and go unnoticed are more challenging. I guess I'm better at direct combat. Stamina, too...I could work some more on that.”

 

When she was done, she cast a demure look at the table, wondering why she felt like she'd been chopped down a peg. All he did was ask a simple question. There was nothing harsh about the way he said it, or the look on his face. Somehow he made her want to retract a little into her shell, nonetheless. Itachi returned to studying his father, and the room went quiet. Fugaku was staring back at him, hands clasped close to his sealed lips, with his elbows on the table. Posture very similar to Sasuke's. Their gazes were equally placid, yet anything but transparent, as they delved into a quick and silent exchange with just their murky eyes. There was a reason he asked that question, and he drove home his veiled point with unyielding eye contact. Sasuke watched his brother curiously. This wasn't the first time something like this happened.

 

After a few seconds, something warm touched her. She glanced at her lap, and found Shisui's hand slipping over hers without so much as a rustle. “I'm sure your strengths far outweigh your weaknesses.” He added light-hearted, yet making a point not to meet her eye, for some reason. Itachi was still watching his father when he slowly rose from the table, and sighed quietly. “I'm sure they do, as well.” Fugaku stated with confidence, removing himself from the unspoken challenge his eldest son presented him with.

 

“Thank you, Sakura, for everything you've done for my son. I realize this is long overdue, but we will never be able to repay you for your service. You've offered him a second chance at life, and there is no greater gift.” Sakura snapped her head quickly to look up at him, eyes wide and full of wonder. “I'm proud to know you are a part of Sasuke's team. You are welcome in this house any time.” To her amazement, he stepped away from his chair and bowed formally before her.  
  
“Thank you, sir...I really appreciate that.” She replied softly, tiny fireworks erupting in her chest. The good kind. A stark contrast to the sinking weight Itachi inadvertently left her with a moment prior. He walked into the kitchen, granting the four of them freedom so he could talk with his wife.

 

The comforting hand slipped away as Shisui shifted in his chair, and cleared his throat. That's when it finally hit her. The 'interview' was over, and now it was the four of them alone, for the first time in...her life, actually. Sakura looked around, already beginning to feel a little hot and cramped, even though they had more room than ever before. It was the lack of distraction that fanned the fire for her. The only thing left to face was each other. Her attention snapped to Sasuke abruptly, once she recalled something.“Hey, you gave me the wrong time! You told me to show up at four, and no one was here!” A harmless criticism, as she wasn't actually upset about it by now. The time she spent with Itachi wasn't something she could complain about, but he didn't need to know that.

 

“Sorry. Got the times mixed up.” His explanation was bland, and sounded disinterested, as if he really wasn't sorry, and didn't care either way. A heavy-lidded and annoyed stare lingered on him, but she wasn't that surprised. The only thing that made her wonder was the fact that he was looking away from her, and resonating an unhappy vibe. A mix between frustration and disappointment, but she left it alone. Prying him for answers rarely proved fruitful. Dropping the issue, she returned to wondering about how she was going to interact with all of them without spilling some juicy detail on accident, or just feeling generally awkward. One was already spilled, when she ran to the bathroom after he let her inside. Knowing his house so well was a red flag, but it slipped her mind, and she would never think about it unless someone pointed it out to her.

 

Should she just go? Was it okay to leave? Did his parents  _want_ her to leave? She doubted they stayed up very late, and she wouldn't want to be rude by outstaying her welcome.

 

“Sakura, would you like some tea?” Mikoto asked suddenly, dishes clinking in the sink, and she jumped at the chance to respond to something other than the ever-tightening coil of silence. “Oh...are you sure? It's getting kinda late, I don't want to keep you.”

 

“We have time, dear, but if you need to wake up early tomorrow, I understand.”

 

“I do have to be at the hospital tomorrow. I should probably go. Thank you for offering, though.” The chair slid backward as she meant to stand up, enter the kitchen to say goodnight to them, and thank them for dinner.

 

“Are you sure? She has a lot of good teas.” Itachi stopped her with little effort, and she looked at him skeptically for a moment. Something told her he wasn't politely prodding her to stay, just to be nice, but discreetly insisting that she did. Judging by the way her captured her gaze for a few prolonged seconds. She could almost feel the unspoken command slithering over her skin. _Stay._

 

“...You know, I guess I could stay a little longer.” She smiled, but instead of sitting back down, moved into the kitchen. “At least let me help you clean up!”

 

“No.” Mikoto and Fugaku rejected her in unison, and Sakura screeched to a halt after setting one foot into the room, just like last time. Well, so much for that! They took the treatment of their guests pretty seriously, from what she gathered. She nodded respectfully, and backed out into the dining room again. Damn. So much for avoiding being cornered by three Uchiha boys. Wait...was that really a bad thing? Oh no, it was...yes, it definitely was.

 

Sasuke stood up without warning, and walked out of the dining room and down the hall toward their bedrooms. The three of them watched him go, unsure how to take his coarse aloofness. On any other day, this behavior wouldn't strike her as odd, but something was different. Sakura wouldn't outright admit it, but she felt somewhat offended, as he left without a word, or even an acknowledging glance. Shisui closed his eyes, locking himself in the dark while he processed everything.

 

“What's his problem?” She muttered dejectedly.

 

“Hm.” Itachi let it slide passively, with the impression that it didn't concern him, and that he wouldn't waste any time dwelling on the matter. The facts were different, but he didn't view it as a problem that needed to be addressed in front of the rest of them. He would deal with it later. His body, still sore and tired from everything it had been through, drifted into the kitchen to start the kettle a second time. A job that was unofficially reserved as his, and no one else's. If he didn't move now, his mother was bound to instruct him within the next few seconds anyway.  
  


“Shisui. Tea?” He asked tersely, reeling his friend back into reality against his will.

 

“I'll pass tonight.” He stood, and Sakura suddenly found herself alone in the dining room as he entered the kitchen. The words were lost to her, but she could hear them speaking quietly. Saying goodbye, she hoped...though it was never that cut and dry. No one needs to talk in such a hushed manner unless it's to say something secretive. It became an itch in her mind that she couldn't scratch, but she held fast and waited patiently. She trusted him now... He did her more than one favor today—even more favors than she was aware of—so she wasn't about to doubt his intentions. That was the least she could do.

 

His voice rose as he said goodnight to Mikoto and Fugaku. Mrs. Uchiha stopped drying the bowls long enough to give him a hug, and ruffle his hair again. Though the dinner had focused almost solely on Sakura, Shisui hadn't escaped their praise. It only seemed like he did, because he was a part of their family, and spent so much time with them already, that she missed it. He practically had two mothers now, which could be a good and a bad thing.

 

“You can't leave without me.” Sakura whispered when he came back into the room, unable to hide the desperation in her voice. He stopped and shot her a funny look.

 

“What are you talking about? You don't need me.” The insecure look in her eye begged to differ. “Don't look at me like that. There's nothing to worry about.” He muttered, leaning into her and lowering his head so he was about an inch away from her face. “Besides... Itachi never entertains girls in his house, least of all in front of his parents. Feel special. Soak it up.” A hand planted on top of her head, giving her a small pat, and he swerved around her to head for the front door.

 

No, that didn't count. His parents invited her to dinner, not him! “Oh, no pressure there... What if they start asking me hard questions?” She snapped in another whisper after him.

 

“They like you.” Shisui waved her off, trying to stretch his patience.

 

“Don't leave me here!”

 

“Stopit. I'm tired. I'm going home.” He turned to the side and pointed a finger at her.

 

“What if Sasuke comes back out?” Her hands rose to her hips as she pressed on, their stubbornness locking horns with no sign of giving way.

 

“Sakura, how old are you?”

 

“Sixteen.....?”

 

“Oh.”

 

“.....Whyy?”

 

“Just making sure. I thought you were ten, for a second.”

 

A soft _thump_ sounded as she smacked his arm in retaliation. He flinched, and successfully dodged a second smack. They weren't hard hits, fortunately. More like the swipes of a feisty cat, than anything. Ten? Come on! Now he was just being an ass. Would it really kill him to hang out for a little bit longer? It made her feel better if he was there. He should take that as a compliment, damnit.

 

They both froze mid-motion and ceased their whispers when a head poked curiously into the doorway from the kitchen. Itachi stared at them, eyes tracing up and down them both suspiciously. Shisui took advantage of the surprise, and made his stealthy escape from the fiery, yet slightly needy, kunoichi. “I gotta go. I'll see you later.” By the time she turned around, he was already down the hall, and she inwardly cursed. He won this round...

 

Itachi's head disappeared, and a second later his whole body returned with a steaming teapot and empty cups. Sakura clasped her hands behind her back and tried not to appear too guilty, though she certainly felt embarrassed for being caught harassing his best friend. That couldn't have looked very good, from his perspective.

 

“Itachi, I'm sure she'd love to see the garden. You should take her outside and light the lanterns.” His mother suggested, unaware that she was already acquainted and completely in love with their garden, from her previous visits. Sakura wanted to laugh, but instead she only smiled amiably, and looked up at him. He paused with his hands full, about to set everything on the table, and gave the faintest sigh. Turning, he lead the way out of the dining room and through the house.  
  


Complaining was the last thing on her mind. If she had a garden like that, she would spend every day in it drinking tea. Even if it was snowing. Being outside would be nice, anyway. More space, harder to feel confined or trapped. She really did like his parents, but it was difficult let her guard down completely with them there. Still so swept up in maintaining a good impression. It demanded a lot of mental energy.

 

“What is it this time?” She asked as she sat down on the edge of the porch, letting her legs hang over freely. The tea set was arranged between them, just like earlier. “Oolong tea.” He poured some for both of them, and sat down in the same manner as she did. The sky was a rich blue, and creeping deeper by the minute. Most of the garden was hiding in shadows, with only the brightest flowers and colors able to stand out in the remaining light. A steady breeze kept everything at the perfect temperature.

 

Itachi lifted a hand in front of his chest, and made a sign without speaking a word. A quick blur of movement that she barely caught, and the shrouded garden erupted with flickering lights. All the stone lanterns, hidden and obvious ones, revealed themselves with their own flames. It wasn't enough to brighten significantly, but it looked beautiful. Now she was really jealous.

 

“Where did you learn that?” She picked up her tea and blew on it lightly. He leaned back with his palms propped on the boards behind him, letting the atmosphere melt him into a lazy contentment.

 

“Our clan has a lot of fire tricks.” To him, it was nothing...but occasionally it was fun to try and create new ones. Time was not something he usually had an abundance of, with his busy schedule. So he was limited to playing with the techniques the others invented when they were bored...or retired.

 

“Show me another one?”

 

“I will, if you tell me why you were smacking him.” He offered, targeting her from the corner of his eye. Expertly masking any feelings he may have. She couldn't tell if he amused, or annoyed, or something else...so she just laughed nervously.

 

“Oh... I didn't want him to leave. And he called me a ten year old.” She could have sworn he smirked for half a second, but it happened too fast to be sure. Both eyebrows raised at her, nudging her to explain her reasoning. “I don't know... He helped me a lot today. It was just...nice knowing he was around. Made me feel better.” She sipped at her tea, noticing that he hadn't touched his yet. If she recalled correctly, he did that every time they drank tea. Filled his cup, and then left it like a decoration. Drinking maybe half a cup, if that.

 

“You're afraid of Sasuke?” A question, yet it sounded more like a known fact when it came out of his mouth. His eyes left her to focus on a single candle flame, several feet in front of him amidst the rose bushes.

 

“It's not just that. Your parents make me nervous.” She admitted begrudgingly, feeling silly about it, but she wasn't going to lie to him.

 

Sakura managed to finish her cup before another word was spoken. Enough time for her to get lost in the sounds of cicadas and crickets, as she filled a second cup. Eventually, her curiosity got the better of her, and she looked up at him. He was watching her with a small smile on his face.

 

“What?” She blinked innocently, pulling some of her hair behind her ear.

 

“You were different tonight.”

 

It was her turn to lose her voice, and she rested her hands in her lap while the tea cooled steadily next to her. Racking her memory and trying to recount all the things she did and said, since she showed up to their front door with Shisui in tow. She didn't understand what he meant. She thought she had behaved like she normally did.

 

“Oh... I'm sorry?”

 

Itachi shook his head slowly in disagreement. “I like it.”

 

“What did I do that was so...different?”

 

“The way you interacted with them was natural. I think you did fine.”

 

As if he had just showered her with the greatest praise in the world, Sakura's lips jumped into a smile, and she looked down at her gently swinging feet. There was so much he had left out. Like the way she acted more confident than he had ever seen her—she would never believe him if he said that. Or the way she regarded them all with mature, polite composure—Shisui's battery didn't count. She was braver than she thought she was. If she would just relax and take a few minutes for some self-reflection, she might see things differently...but she wasted her time with irrational concerns. Always thinking of the worst that could happen, and letting it distract her.

 

“Sakura.” He reclaimed those large eyes that almost glittered in the dark. “There is no one in my family that you need to impress. Don't be afraid to be yourself. It's an insult to who you are.” Her feet stopped swinging, and her curious expression fell blank. “And there is no one that requires an apology from you...not eve Sasuke.”

 

That was creepy. He found a way to burrow through her scattered and rambling insecurities that ran the length of a novel, and snuff them out in four short sentences. How did he do that? He had a magical tongue...in more ways than one...and it amazed her. Yet, instead of letting the relief wash over her, she posed a question. “You don't think I'm weak, do you?”

 

“Why would I think you're weak?” The cup finally found its way to his lips, and he sipped it leisurely.

 

“At the table earlier, you asked me about my weaknesses....” Her voice grew softer, and she looked away. Gaze exploring the small peppering of lights with a touch of sadness.

 

A lungful of cool air sucked in through his nose slowly, and drifted back out. He saw this coming, as he didn't expect her to understand his motives on her own. The relationship he had with his father was complex, and she didn't know the things that they knew.

 

“Everyone has their weaknesses. It's important to know what they are so we can improve them, and choose our battles wisely.”

 

There was nothing false about that, but it wasn't the answer she was looking for. He evaded the point, and she wasn't going to accept it without a fight. “You know what I mean...”

 

“I don't look down on you, if that's what you're asking.”

 

“But why did you ask me what they were?”

 

“Forgive me Sakura, but if you don't already know the answer, I'd prefer to keep it that way.” He shut her down gently, yet it only peaked her curiosity. So there was a real reason. There was something fishy going on. Well, that just wasn't fair. If it involved her, she ought to know.

 

Her lips thinned in silent protest, but she found it difficult to find the right words now. If he didn't want to talk to her about it, there was no way to make him.

 

“Can you promise me something?” He asked suddenly, and she regarded him with a new wonder.

 

“I...I guess. It kinda depends on what it is, but...”

 

“If my father speaks to you again after tonight, for any reason, will you let me know?”

 

Sakura stared mutely.

 

“Please.”

 

“.....Yeah. I'll let you know.” A murmur of a voice answered him, knowing full well that if she asked why, he would refuse to tell her. Should she be worried? Because that was a very effective way to worry her.

 

“Stand there.” His pointing hand snagged her attention before she could spend much time thinking about what he said, and she looked out into the garden.

 

“Why?”

 

“I want to show you something.”

 

Inquisitive eyes narrowed as she considered him, but then she hopped off the porch and traveled the stone path a little ways into the forest of carefully manicured plants and twinkling flames. Stopping and looking around after a few feet, she tried to spot what it was he was pointing at. Some kind of flower, or trickling fountain, or tree, but he lost her.

 

“What is it?” She asked, turning to face him. Pale face hovering in the flicker of dull orange light and looming shadows, it was hard for her to read him. He was still leaning back slightly, one palm holding him up with the other had fallen on his leg. Then she watched it rise to his lips, and he created a circle with his fingers. A spark of light exploded into a wall of fire in an instant. Sakura had enough time suck in a terrified gasp, and close her eyes in a flinch when the flames engulfed her. Rushing past her skin in a brief blanket of tickling heat and puff of wind. It was over almost as quickly as it began, but she stiffened. One knee bent with her leg off the ground, hands balled into fists and hovering close to her wincing face, and torso twisted. It took her a second to realize the fire never touched her. It had expanded into a hollowed out ring, wide enough to fit her in its center, before dissipating into the leaves and air behind her.

 

“What was that?!” She yelled, a fresh pump of adrenaline already snaking through her veins as she fumed at him.

 

A devilish grin answered, and he reclined back on both palms again. “You wanted another trick.”

 

“You could have warned me!”

 

“Then it wouldn't have been fun.”

 

“Oh yeah? You want some fun? I can show you one of _my_ tricks.” The feet that stomped along the stones moved with a purpose toward him. Fists still clenched, albeit loosely. She wasn't angry, but she also wasn't prepared to let him get away with something like that so easily. Calm eyes watched her approach without a care in the world. Hiding just how much he enjoyed observing the docile and well-mannered girl become hot-headed and spunky. She could change so quickly sometimes, yet it was something he liked about her. It kept him on his toes, and tempted him to provoke her further.

 

“I hope you're not going to pummel me into the ground like you did to Shisui.” His concern reeked of sarcasm, and his lazy gaze looked her up and down quite unimpressed. Sakura narrowed her eyes. He was asking for it, and she was going to give it to him. A fist came to life with a pale glow as she reached him, but when she lunged, he was gone. Literally. One blink, and there was an empty space where he had been seated in front of her. He couldn't move that fast...could he? Really? She didn't even see a blur. He just disappeared.

 

A tickle of steam graced the back of her neck, and she swung around, legs bent and spread enough to give the impression she was actually prepared to fight him. Now that was funny.

 

The ground disappeared as she was swept up into the air by a limb...or two...she couldn't see what he did. All the knew was the wooden boards knocking into her back and her hair fanning out in a sloppy pastel halo around her. The garden drifted miles away in second, and she found herself laying close to the wall with her legs propped up, and a shadow looming over her.

 

The cicadas and crickets returned full force. She laid there, looking up at him with swaths of black hair curtaining her face. Positioned above her on his hands and knees, the backs of her thighs rested against his in a straddle. The breeze that felt so nice before awakened a panic when it wafted effortlessly up the dress she was wearing, with its hem already scrunched high up her legs.

 

“What are you doing?” She swallowed, hoping he was just teasing her. Pushing her buttons to try and get a reaction. A countdown ticked in her mind. Accumulating suspense until it would inevitably cause her to spring up and throw him off. Not yet, but if he didn't do something soon... There was no way she was going to be caught in a compromising position if someone in his family wandered out onto the porch next to them. The door was right there. It was closed, but just how many paces separated them? How many walls? One or two? That was far too close for comfort.

 

“Waiting for you to show me a trick.” His lips murmured against hers, tickling with their movement. He couldn't help it. She captivated him in ways she would never understand. Ways even he didn't understand, sometimes. It impressed her how easygoing and self-assured he was all the time, but that was because he knew how to keep his struggles to himself. Keeping his hands off her was one of them. Being in the same room with her was a constant test of discipline, yet she never realized that, did she?

 

“Your parents...” She whispered, a hand inching down to her legs and try and pull her dress lower. She felt way too exposed, but she didn't ask him to move. Alerting him to her predicament might very well backfire, so she was trying to be sneaky.

 

“I'll know if they're coming.” His assurance wasn't convincing enough, but his close proximity was a huge distraction. When she found the end of her dress, his hand covered hers before it could move, and pulled it slowly away. Gah, he already knew. There was no point.

 

“What about Sas-haa!” She sucked in her breath, thighs twitching sharply when she felt his hand creep between them and disappear under the cloak of green. He silenced her with a kiss, slow and smooth, with a hot lap of his tongue. A sigh flooded into his mouth, wanting to deny him, and yet finding herself incapable of lifting a finger to stop him.

 

The pads of his fingers explored her naked heat. Touching softly enough that she shifted her hips to try and press into him. Body shamelessly demanding more. They glided in a tantalizing sweep between her lips, rousing a shudder, and then anchored firmly over her clit. Twirling in a slow circular motion in just the right spot. The effect was instantaneous. He felt a growl threatening to claw from his throat when she tensed and dug her fingers into his shoulders. A tremor shook through her, with a flash of heat not far behind. Opening her pores and catching him with the scent of fresh desire.  
  
“We can't do this.” She insisted suddenly, forcing herself to act responsibly while she was still capable of putting up a fight. It might not be a very strong or enduring fight in the end, but she had to try. Her mouth pulled out of reach with a swing of her head, which resulted in her getting lost in his curtain of hair.

 

“Mm...” A weak noise of recognition. Not the one she needed to hear, as it was far from agreeable, and promised nothing in the way of compliance. His fingers changed their pattern, but continued to rub and knead into her. Becoming rougher as she grew increasingly wet.

 

“This is...the worst position....we could be in if...someone walks out.” The battle to keep her voice steady and quiet was evident in her abrupt pauses. Moans and squeaks clamoring to be released denied over and over again.

 

“I can think of worse positions than this.” He countered, meeting the challenge she never meant to give him. The brush of his lips followed the curve of her jaw. Teasing her with a light touch as he traced to a sensitive spot just below her ear. His breath billowed in slow, controlled puffs, mindful to keep half his attention on her body language, and half on the house around them. One hand fanned down her waist, deceptively soft like his lips. After a hard stroke, he pulled from the hot crevice and flipped her onto her stomach. Chest pressed flat against the cool surface, her hips were twisted at a comfortable but affective angle, and pulled flush against his. One leg was bent back around his waist with her calf crossing his lower back, and the other fell to the floor next to him. The heat burned him through his pants, but he held still. Bending forward to suck pale welts along the back of her neck and under her jaw.

 

“Itachi!” She hissed louder, ready to transform into a combative octopus if he didn't knock it off within the next few second. It's like he was _trying_ to get caught at this point. He might like to live life on the edge, but if this kept up much longer she was going to die an early death by heart attack.

 

“Hm?” He hummed into her flesh, sounding so oblivious and content with his actions that she almost reached back and smacked him. Her hands braced into the porch, ready to push herself up, when his hips shifted away from her. Now a bit sticky and damp from the close contact. She glanced back in relief, waiting for him to climb off her, but he had only given her a false sense of hope. Far too rebellious to surrender so quickly. Two fingers slid without resistance inside her wet passage, and she gasped. An easy twist of his wrist primed them for his target, and he struck with a merciless push. Digging gently into her pulsing wall, and shocking her into a high-pitched squeal.

 

“Shh... They'll hear you.” A mocking whisper should have provoked her fury, but she was rendered motionless by the explosion of pleasure he quite literally forced through her. His prior ministrations were stimulating enough, but that small hook deep insider her shoved her near the brink much faster than she ever thought was possible. She was used to a steady build of desire over time...she had no idea he could skip straight to a level that made her hips shudder and her one leg clench around him in a death grip.

 

The searing velvet fluttered around him, writhing in a desperate agony while his fingertips caressed a sluggish, stiff pressure into a vulnerable spot that made her see stars and squirm about recklessly.  
  
“Stop...stop...stopstopsssttt-ahh!” Her arm curled around her face, nails digging through her own hair as she bit down harshly on her bottom lip. The floorboards immersed in a hot dew as she panted frantically into the cave she created. Trying to shield her senses and collect herself before she lost control. She was so close. She couldn't handle it. In the back of her mind, behind all the brain cells that were in the process of spontaneously combusting, it scared her. To know he could touch her in such a way that would turn her limbs to jelly and make her scream and beg him for more, when a minute ago she was ready to act tough and meet him head-on... It wasn't right. It's like she had an intricate map detailing every treasure and landmark written all over her that only he could read. He revealed secrets about herself that _she_ wasn't aware of. Was it ANBU training, or did everyone learn this magic sooner or later? It was evil.

 

Seconds before she came, he stilled within her. Leaving just enough pressure in place to send her convulsing weakly around him, and squeaking nonsensical things into the crook of her elbow.

 

“Okay...” He gave in. The moment she no longer wanted him to. He finally chose to listen at the singular point in time she would lose her mind and throttle him into his grave if he stopped. A kiss touched her flushed and steaming cheek. A gesture so gentle and affectionate, and she wanted to murder him. Her hips twitched violently when his hand moved again, slipping out of her, and being sure to drag that light pressure all the way to her exit.

 

A cold and fierce glare peeked over her arm, losing itself in the cool night air. He pushed himself backward onto his butt, and rested his elbows on top of his bent knees. Sakura's head turned slowly to looked at him over her shoulder. Silent. Fuming. Plotting. He made it a hundred times worse by watching her with the most beautiful, peaceful look on his face. Like none of this affected him. Like he was the perfect, unassuming angel. He cocked his head, looking at the glossy fingers that dangled off his leg. They drifted to his mouth, where he licked them slowly, like savoring the dripping remains of melted ice cream.

 

Her foot jousted him right in the chest, striking him with the power, yet not quite the speed, of a lightning bolt. He flew backwards, crashing down onto the stones and moss of the garden below, with his calves bent over the edge of the porch and feet sitting lifeless in front of her. She was amazed she landed the hit, fully expecting him to catch her foot and either trap her down again, or send her tumbling with her. Did he let her get away with it...? Had she really been too fast for him? She wasn't about to ask. Instead, she gave a satisfied _hmph_ and crawled onto her knees, arms folding over her chest to glare triumphantly down at his sprawled form.

 

His feet slid off with a thump, and he crouched in front of her without bothering to step back onto the porch. That kinda hurt, actually. There were still some sore ribs in there. Okay, a lot of sore ribs. But he would keep that to himself.

 

“You know...sometimes you're not a very nice guy.” An understatement. He had done a lot of things to stress her out, and agitate her, and make her worry, but the only apology she got from him was a weak smile. The kind that accepted her judgment fully, if not basked in it.

 

“I never said I was, Sakura.” He corrected her quietly, expression serious even as he enjoyed the harsh look she studied him with. She was angry...and frustrated... _very_ frustrated. She wanted to deny him, and say that she didn't need or want him. Not for a second. That she could walk away now and never look back. But Kami, she wanted him more than anything in the world...more than she ever wanted Sasuke...and she kind of hated him for that. She didn't want to admit it, but she felt she was going to have to, in the near future. She couldn't spend another handful of years pining for a man that tormented her, and held such an intense influence over her emotions and actions. It would _kill_ her if he turned out to be like his brother. The pain would be infinitely worse, after baiting her like this. She refused to go through it a second time.

 

As if the weight was suddenly too much to bare, the anger fizzled out into nothing. Gleaming eyes lost their hardness, and the stiff line of her mouth drooped. Her shoulders inched downward, freed from their tension as she looked down at her lap, and picked one of her nails. She looked almost sad in an instant.

 

“Itachi...what are we doing?”

 

The hunched figured in front of her leaned into the wooden planks with his elbows, and plopped his chin in his palm. Giving no sign that he was affected by the internal war she waged. “You're going to have to be more specific.”

 

“This... What is it?” Her hands waved into the air and dropped back in her lap, lifeless. No longer would she meet his eyes, choosing to cast hers down while his lashes blinked slowly. Roaming over her coolly, and thinking perhaps far more deeply than she thought he was. But he preferred it that way.

 

“That is not specific.”

 

A surge of anger flitted through her heart and surfaced on her face for a split second, but she stuffed it back down. He had to know what she was talking about. Why couldn't he just say it? When she went quiet for a moment, he spoke again.

 

“If there is something you want to ask me, or tell me, you need to be precise.” That was the only nudge he would give her. If she didn't react accordingly, he would let the issue melt away. Despite what she might think, he did not play games when it came to serious matters, but he also did not go out of his way to fill in the blanks for anyone else. They would learn to communicate wisely and directly, or they would gain nothing from him. She ought to know that by now.

 

“What do you think of me?” She blurted quickly, before she could lose her resolve and change the subject.

 

“Hm...” He made a small noise, and continued his painless dissection of her mannerisms. Reading her carefully. “I think you're innocent, and a little naïve. I think you have a big heart, but it's full with as much fear as it is love. I think you have a lot of room to grow as a person, and a shinobi...and I think you will. When you do, I think you will find yourself at a height you didn't know you could reach, and even then, you won't recognize how powerful you are.”

 

She looked up at him then, large eyes pleasantly shocked, and a little touched.

 

“I also think you're intelligent, and beautiful, and I think my brother is going to regret letting you slip through his fingers one day.”

 

She wanted to kiss him. Just lean in and grab his face with both her hands, and kiss the daylights out of him. Yet why did it hurt? He said things she craved to hear, but the emotions they roused were surprisingly at odds with each other. It could be the fear holding her back, making her reluctant to read into what he was saying too much.

 

“So....what _are_ we doing, then?”

 

“Precise.” He reminded her once more.

 

“How do you _feel_ about me? Am I a part of your life now? What do you want from me?” She rushed again, feeling her heart thunder in her chest. A look of distraught anticipation painting her features, and pushing a thin glitter of saltwater to corners of her eyes. This was nerve-racking, but she needed to get it over with, no matter what the outcome was. She could take the blows, if she had to. Just as long as she knew...

 

He didn't answer. She was too mixed up to tell whether seconds or minutes passed by. All she knew was that the longer he waited, the more she wanted to turn that kiss of hers into pounding fists, and make him pay for driving her so crazy.

 

A crunch of rock, and he was crawling onto the porch toward her. She froze, eyes darting all over his moving limbs in apprehension. His face hid in the shade of his hair. The cool tip of his nose bumped her cheek, and his lips guided hers to kiss him. Deliberately slow and sweet. “That depends on what you want. Tell me...” His whisper was almost too soft to reach her. What she wants...? This caught her off guard, as if she expected to be outright rejected.

 

“I...I don't know... I don't know you very well, when I think about it. I mean I do, but...there's so much more to you...” Yes she did, but she was afraid to dive in and admit everything. That she would be happy spending all of her spare time with him, even if they were doing nothing but sitting and skipping rocks into a lake. Or, hell, helping his mother with house chores—not that she would ever let them, but that wasn't the point. She just wanted to be near him. She wanted to feel that it was okay to love him, and she wanted him to know that, but she didn't want to have to say it. That was asking too much. It was too scary.

 

“Then get to know me.” He offered, making it sound so damn simple.

 

“Do you want me to?” She breathed shakily, pulling away from his lips enough that she could look into his dark eyes, still so dim in the shadows.  
  
“I want you to do what makes you happy.” He held her curious gaze. The swell of hope and giddy excitement rising within her was almost tangible. The beginning of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Then he shot away, returning to a crouch in front of her, just as the door slid open next to them.

 

Mikoto took one step outside and scanned the porch, missing them at first. “Sasuke, do you—“ She looked down at them, never finishing her sentence. “Is he not drinking tea with you two?” Her eyes darkened instantly, one hand rising to her hip. “I know I did not raise such a rude young man.” If she felt there was anything strange or telling by how closely they were sitting across from each other, with their cooled cups of tea left behind on the edge of the walkway, she said nothing. “I'll go get him.”

“No!” Sakura blurted before she could stop herself, and Mikoto paused in the middle of closing the door to look down at her in surprise.

 

“Actually, I really do need to go now. I have a long way to walk.” Crap. Not Sasuke. Anyone but Sasuke. What the hell would the three of them talk about right now? One day he would discover something was going on...but not now. She needed some more time before approaching that monster of a subject with him.

 

“Okay, if you insist.” Mikoto sighed, smiling at her. The door was left open as her footsteps disappeared through the house.

 

Sakura exhaled a deep breath she had been holding, letting her back slouch in relief. Itachi stood up, never taking his eyes off her. He offered a hand to help her up, and she took it. Not because she needed to, but because she wanted to touch him.

 

“You know...you're not a very bad guys sometimes, either.” His lips answered her with a feathery kiss on her forehead, but they didn't stop there. They took their time traveling the curve of her brow, down her cheek, over her nose and to the other side, and then down to her chin. She held still, letting her eyes close blissfully. When she reopened them, he was looking at her without something new. So subtle and difficult to see in the absence of light, but there was a change in his eyes. They weren't as cryptic as they usually were, as if a veil had been lifted, and they regarded her in a way that made her feel strangely...safe, for once.

 

“What are you thinking?” She murmured up at him. He leaned in to kiss her one last time on the lips, and then took a step back.

 

“I'm thinking it's time for you to go.” Oh, but she didn't want to go. She should...and she said she needed to...but she really didn't want to. Regardless, she gave a sad nod and looked away. Her steps to the doorway were reluctant, each one full of doubt.

 

“So...are we...dating?” She asked hesitantly, looking at him over her shoulder. One hand rested on the door while she stood halfway in the bright light of the house, and halfway on the dark porch. Nibbling her lip and smoothing a hand nervously down the side of her borrowed dress.

 

Itachi smirked faintly. “You need to get to know me first.”

 

She gave a quiet laugh as he threw her own concern back into her face. He was right though. Maybe it was too soon to decide that...even if her heart was screaming no, it wasn't. It was obvious her feelings weren't going to change. She felt she already knew him at his core, even if she couldn't explain how.

 

“Yeah... I guess. Are you coming?”

 

“Not yet. I'm staying out here for a little longer.”

 

She nodded, and then paused. This was the part where she turned and walked away, but it was hard. She still didn't want to go.

 

“Alright. I'll see you...later.” The door shut behind her, leaving him alone in the sea of nocturnal insects and dancing specks of flame. On the apex of the roof above them, a lone crow ruffled its feathers, stretched its wings, and disappeared soundlessly into the night.

 

Making her quick goodbyes to Mikoto and Fugaku, she thanked them for their hospitality, and made her escape. When she slipped on her shoes and opened the front door, she found Sasuke standing in front of the steps. His back was turned, hands in his pockets, and facing the empty street.

 

“Oh, now you show up.” She rolled her eyes, acting as if she was annoyed at him for leaving them earlier. Crazy to think there used to be a time when it really would bother her. A lot. Things were different now. She was grateful he had wandered off on his own, even if it did still offend her on a level. His actions were impolite, no matter how you looked at it.

 

“Sorry.” He grunted under his breath without turning to face her. She knew he didn't mean it. How often did he apologize for real? But she was used to it. Sakura sighed, holding her tongue before it could waste its energy lecturing him. Chances are he wouldn't even respond.

 

“I gotta go.” She stared at his back, waiting for him to step out of the way, except he never did.

 

“...Sasuke?”

 

“Hn.”

 

“...Do I have to physically move you?” Question a little bit annoyed, yet somehow amused as well.

 

Eventually, he side-stepped and leaned against the beam, arms crossing his chest. He had his side to her now, and he looked at her through his long bangs.

 

“We haven't sparred in a while.” He murmured out of the blue, stopping her right as she was passing him. Her feet held her at the top of the short stairs, and she glanced at her teammate a measly few inches away. “No, we haven't...” She trailed off, leaving an unspoken question to hang in the air between them. Since when did he care about training with her? They hadn't done that in ages, it seemed. Why bring it up now?

 

“We should.”

 

Sakura blinked, mouth parting a sliver. “Really? You want to?”

 

He stared at her.

 

“My schedule is packed right now. I'm not sure—“

 

“Scared?”

 

Her eyes narrowed slightly, reacting to his taunt perfectly. “Pfft... Why would I be scared of you? Just give me a day. I'll see if I can fit something.” Hah! Oh kami she was scared... But screw him! He didn't need to know! It was mostly for a different reason anyway. If he wanted to throw punches that badly, then fine. It would be a nice chance to blow off some steam. Man, was he confusing. One minute he's avoiding her, the next he's asking for her time. First lunch, now this. Both were odd requests from him, but his otherwise standoffish nature was on par, so she didn't question it.

 

He smiled, and the only reason she didn't recognize its treacherous nature was because his eyes were so relaxed and confident.

 

“This Wednesday. I'm free after five.”

 

“Works for me. Where are we meeting?”

 

“In the field behind the village.” He nodded in the direction, the one close to the Uchiha compound, surrounded by a ring of dense trees.

 

“Deal. I'll meet you by six.”

 

He gave a single nod, and left it at that. Below the top step of the porch at her feet, a tiny insect drifted into a freshly woven web. It's blind struggle was short-lived, as a black spider rushed out from the shade to subdue it in its eight-legged embrace.

 

“...You're okay, right?” She asked suddenly, while she had his attention. Since it was so difficult to get, let alone keep, she might as well take advantage while she can.

 

“I'm fine...” He muttered.

 

“You sure? Because you were really quiet at dinner.”

 

“There was no reason to talk. My parents were more interested in you.” Ah, that was true. He was never known for being outgoing, either. Yet still, she didn't quite believe that something wasn't wrong. Call it female intuition. She may worry a lot, but it wasn't always for no reason. She gave him a skeptical once-over, quirking her lips to the side.

 

“If I said I didn't feel well, would you drop it?” Not quite a lie, but the way he felt had nothing to do with a physical illness. He just wanted her to go away now.

 

No. No, she wouldn't drop it. She was a medic. She would have to investigate. Apparently he forgot about that part, as she witnessed a flash of surprise hit his face when her hand reached for him. It was a slow movement. Nothing threatening about it. But his fingers snapped over her wrist so quickly she jumped, and stared right back at him with the same weight of shock. It was a rough grip. Squeezing tighter than he needed to in order to block such an innocent gesture.

 

“Your forehead.... I was just.... Uhm...” She stumbled, tiny hairs rising under the fire that burst in his eyes, and then vanished into nothingness again. He kept her wrist just long enough to be suspicious, and then slowly loosened his grip and let it fall. There was a familiar scent mixing in the air between them. He didn't catch it until she swayed closer, but when he did, it made him dizzy. Hastily, he shoved it aside to retort.

 

“I already have one mother, Sakura....” He snorted, taking a deep breath that made her stop and consider him longer than he wanted her to. Except that deep breath only aggravated him, as a new rush of feminine aroma filled his lungs.

 

“Geeze. Alright, fine. Sorry I asked.” She moved a foot, hitting the first step and causing the spider below to scurry out of sight, leaving the captured bug to wiggle about in vain.

  
“Are you mad at me?”

 

“What? No. Why would I be mad?” He snapped too quickly, his annoyed glare contradicting his words.

 

That was it. She was done messing with this moody brat. “Nevermind, Sasuke. You seriously make me want to rip out my hair sometimes.” She huffed, and stomped down into the street. Oblivious to the eyes that followed her as long as she remained visible on the road. She was different, he noted. A little more curt with him, a little less forgiving. He remembered the days she made it so easy to walk all over her, but it wasn't like that anymore. He didn't dislike it..he just found it interesting. And yet somehow, it made the flames spreading through his chest burn a little hotter.

 

Itachi was sitting on the edge of the porch again. The kettle was still hot, but the two cups next to him had been cold for a while. He was drinking in sounds of the nightlife, enjoying a peaceful moment to himself while he let his thoughts wonder, when a dark shadow dropped out of the sky and landed close to him. Shisui turned and sat on the other side of the cups, the same spot Sakura had been in not long ago.

 

A heavy _thunk_ between them introduced a tall bottle of sake. No words needed to be exchanged, as that had been done before he left that evening. One by the one, the cups were flicked into the air, emptying the cold tea so it could be replaced with rice wine. Itachi looked down at the bottle, and watched him pour the contents for two. He would wait as long as he needed to. There was no rush.

 

Finally, his friend spoke. “I need to talk to you about something...but I need you to drink first.”

 

A soft laugh filled the garden, eyes crinkling and shoulders shaking lightly. “Shisui...I don't need sake.”

 

“Humor me.” He insisted, and took his cup, downing the burning liquid in one gulp. Itachi focused on him more closely, taking in the rigid discomfort that kept in him invisible bonds.

 

Though the drink didn't appeal to him at the moment, he complied, and brought the cup to his lips. Like his tea, he sipped it slowly. The flavor was nice, that was never a problem. He just didn't consume alcohol very often.

 

When nothing more came from his friend's mouth, he leaned back slightly and looked up into the sky. Trading the small balls of orange for the flickering stars above. “It's okay. I already know.” He said quietly, keeping the cup close to his mouth so he could continue sipping it occasionally. The other cup was filled for a second, then third time. The liquid disappearing with one throw, just like before. Then he took a break to let it settle in his stomach.

 

“I thought you might...” He matched his volume.

 

“Thank you for being there.”

 

“I... What? Oh...yeah.”

 

Itachi set his empty cup down, prepared to leave it on the porch untouched, but Shisui filled it up again for him.

 

“I just....” He started, stopped, filled his cup a fourth time, and then let it sit. “Why? I didn't see it coming. You tell me everything, so it was kind of... I mean I didn't want to, but he asked...and...I didn't know what was going to happen.”

 

Itachi knit his brows gently, trying to follow his lead, but having trouble. It was too vague, and it didn't make sense. Shisui knew exactly what he wanted to say, but making the words come out the right way was difficult. Having the events replay in his mind made it harder to focus. No, he didn't see with his own every everything that Sasuke saw, but he didn't have to. He had ears, and a good imagination.

 

Because it made his friend feel better, he brought the cup to his lips to take another drink.

 

“I'm not going to judge you...”

 

Itachi stared from the corner of his eye, quickly wondering if he was misunderstanding the direction of this conversation.

 

“But why did you let him watch you have sex with—“

 

A soft noise of disrupted fluid transitioned into violent coughing and hacking. Shisui froze with one hand gesturing in the air as if it helped guide his speech, and looked over. Itachi was clutching his nose, eyes squeezed shut in a pained cringe as the sake burned through his nasal cavity like acid. A single drop fell from his bottom lip. The cup was discarded roughly onto the floor behind him, tipping on its side.

 

Bewildered at first...but then his eyes slowly widened. “...We're....not on the same page.....are we?”

 

Tears seeped from under his lashes as he grimaced, battling the flames licking through his face. Eventually, he managed to peek one eye open and land a rather incredulous stare on his best friend.

 

Shisui's arm slowly lowered to plant next to him, and he looked out into the garden. Dazed, and a little mortified, if he had to be honest.

 

Itachi coughed a few more times, and then sniffed. After a few minutes ticked by, he reached for the bottle of sake between them, and pulled it to his mouth.

 

He wasn't going to say 'I told you so'. No, that would be a bad idea. Instead, a foot bounced lightly below him. His only outlet for nervous energy. “So.......you _didn't_ know he was there. I really...I really thought you did. You always know when someone's watching you.” He cleared his throat, but it did no good. He cleared it again. Still murky.

 

He downed his fourth cup.

 

“I was a little busy at the time.” The words fell one by one, deliberately and slowly from Itachi's wet mouth. The realization still sinking its sharp claws into him from every angle. It was going to take a while for this to process.

 

“Shisui....”

 

He forced himself to make eye contact.

 

“When you say he watched...”

 

His mouth opened. Some air sucked in. Then it blew out with a puff of his cheeks, and he cocked his head.

 

Itachi closed his eyes and drank. He understood.

 

“....Are you going to talk to him?”

 

“No.” He answered quickly, confident in his decision.

 

“Why?”

 

“If there's something that needs to be said, he will come to me.”

 

Shisui nodded, though he didn't quite agree.

 

“Were you in the house?” He asked, keeping his eyes closed while he waited for the answer.

 

“Yes....”

 

He took another drink.

 

“Shisui....”

 

“I wasn't watching.” He added in a rush. The alcohol was swirling through his system now. Giving him a pleasantly warm sensation through every limb, and making his head feel heavier than usual. “Itachi... I think you need to talk to him.”

 

He stole one last gulp from the bottle, and let it rest at his side. With his eyes still closed, he leaned back and laid across the boards, tucking his arms behind his head. No answer.

 

“I don't think he's taking it very well.” His friend insisted gently with the best intention.

 

“Everything will be fine.” Itachi mumbled with a bizarre sense of calm, but who he was trying to convince was anyone's guess.

 

Letting it go for now, they spent the remainder of the evening in a shared silence. Taking turns with the bottle of sake until it was gone, and then sitting some more. Sooner or later, Shisui would probe him with questions about Sakura, like how they met, and what the status of their relationship was...but first he needed to stew.

 


	11. Unraveling Secrets & Distorted Truths

 

The late afternoon rays of the sun beat without contest onto the quiet village below. A cloudless sky with a cool breeze made for the perfect weather to spar in, which the kunoichi was very grateful for as she barreled down the main road. Moving with quick purpose, she was sure not to be late this time, despite how part of her wanted to keep procrastinating so she could avoid him longer. That impulse wasn't as strong and interfering as it was in the past, but it was still there, deep down. Until the day came that she spilled the beans to Sasuke, it was always going to be. Today wasn't going to be that day, but soon...

Her pace had been a swift jog since the moment she stepped past the hospital doors, as she needed to stay a bit later than expected, and then change clothes, but she wasn't winded. There was no cute yukata this time. No point in dressing up when she was about to get sweaty and dirty...and possibly bloody. Today, it was the tomboy outfit, as Ino would call it. She didn't consider it very tomboyish. It at least had a skirt in the mix...but whatever. Leave the blonde to obsess over her looks. Her sex appeal in battle was the least of Sakura's worries, just as it should be.

Head turning as she ran past the sprawling Uchiha home she was slowly growing familiar with, a flicker of hope held fast to the prospect of catching a glimpse of her new favorite person. As usual, the clean porch was vacant, and not a sign of life could be detected from her short observation as she whizzed by. Perhaps, if she was lucky, she would get to see Itachi on her way back home. If she was even luckier, Sasuke might be less of a cold prick than he usually was, and invite her in.

_Haha... Yeah, right. Like that's going to happen._

With a shake of her head, she couldn't help but chuckle to herself for even thinking that could be a possibility. Not once had she been invited into that house at her own teammate's request, and she doubted that was going to change any time soon. People don't change overnight, and in Sasuke's case, she was starting to think he might never change at all.

So be it. She had better things to occupy her time with now.

The home wasn't as vacant as she presumed it to be, however. A small, dark eye blinked slowly as it followed the head of short pink hair bobbing down the street and around a corner. Lifeless and still for hours like an insignificant and easily over-looked statue, it enlivened only when she came into view.

When she broke through the last of the houses and continued across the opening to the line of trees beyond, it crooned and shuddered. Glossy black feathers ruffled briefly, and then it took to the crystalline sky. Abandoning its protective perch on the Uchiha family's roof, its wings carried it in the opposite direction, toward Konoha.

"Ha!" She yelled triumphantly, popping out from the maze of tree trunks to land onto the soft, dry field where she was scheduled to meet Sasuke. "Right on time!" Gloved hands rested on her hips as she looked around, expecting to see him standing before her, or leaning against a tree somewhere. Behind her, the leaves rustled quietly and birds chirped happily, yet she otherwise stood alone.

"Sasuke!" Yelling after a short moment, her thin brows knit in confusion, and she twirled in slow a circle, looking for him, before facing the open field again. "Oh Kami...don't tell me  _you're_  late." She mumbled to herself, and then sighed. Lean arms stretching up high, she bent each at the elbow and pulled them behind her head, arching her back slightly as she moved. Might as well use the spare time to loosen up and get ready. Black sandals trudged her through the wild grass further from the dense forest to give her ample room to warm up.

She was feeling good today. Somehow, much of her anxiety about everything began to slowly melt away after she last spoke with Itachi. The weight was lessened, now that some of the unanswered questions that had been hovering over her head and tormenting her were resolved. There was still much to figure out, but she had an idea where she stood with him now, and that was a big step. The rest could be demystified in time.

She could honestly say she had no regrets. A year ago, the thought of getting herself tangled up in a mess like this would have been out of the question. A troublesome and horrific roller coaster to avoid at all costs. It swept her off her feet in full force, so stealthy and determined, whether she wanted it to or not. But now she could see the light at the end of the tunnel, and she was realizing how much she was learning about herself in such a short amount of time. That was something to be thankful for, even if everything else exploded in her face. Hopefully it wouldn't, but she was a firm believer in what didn't kill her made her stronger—and holy shit, she was starting to feel the extra boost of strength now.

_Now, all you have to do is find a way to casually mention, 'By the way, I'm kind of screwing your brother. You don't mind, right?'_   She lost an intense stare into the ground at her feet while she was bent over, stretching her legs and back.

_Or maybe, 'Hey Sasuke, good news! Your brother's way cooler and I'm gonna chase after him now, so you don't have to worry about me anymore!'_ Her eyes narrowed slightly. That didn't sound like a good one either. A bit less blunt, but too pitiful. Chase after him, really? She should be done  _chasing_  anyone.

_'Okay look, there's no easy way to say this. I know it's sudden, but...is it alright if I date your brother?'_ Well, that one sounded nicer...but there was no need to ask for permission. That was dumb. Sasuke didn't own anyone.

_'I'm fucking Itachi, and there's nothing you can do about it...so suck a dick, baka.'_   Kami! No! Wow, she was bad at this.

"Uhg!" Grunting loudly in frustration with herself, she was now hanging limply from the waist down with her eyes closed. Her arms swayed gently as they relaxed, hands no longer touching her toes, and her hair blew in the light breeze around her face like the frail branches of a willow. Why was this so hard to figure out? Maybe she should just blurt something really fast before she could have time to over-think things, and just be done with it. Well, no... After that last try, blurting something off the top of her head was probably a terrible idea.

A soft noise of something hitting the ground behind her caused her to peek between her legs upside down while she continued stretching. The kneeling figure of slate gray and black made its appearance yards away from her, close to the trees. Posture suggesting he just dove from one of the high branches, shrouded in shadows and leaves above. She snapped upright and turned to face him, returning her hands to her hips as she smiled faintly.

"I didn't expect to show up before you."

"I've been here." Eyes closed as he stood, she sensed an aura from him that was calm and indifferent. The kind she was used to. Much unlike the one that felt a little volatile and confusing, the night she ate dinner at their house.

"Oh yeah? For how long?" A playfully quirked brow suggested she didn't believe him, considering he took his sweet time in emerging from the trees. Unless he was just being a jerk by ignoring her, which wasn't out of the question.

"Almost an hour."

"Eh...? But we agreed to be here at six! Did you screw up  _that_  time, too?" Really, first giving her the wrong time to show up for dinner, and now this? How unlike him. Sasuke wasn't known for being a forgetful person.

"I showed up early." Simple and to the point, without offering to elaborate.

Her tongue caught between her teeth in a painless bite, as she stopped herself from trying to pick his brain any further. If he wanted to be early, then fine. So long as he wasn't going to blame her for making him wait around.

"Well...you sure took your sweet time answering me when I showed up." She chided him, though didn't actually expect him to care, or feel guilty.

The breeze picked up in a gust, flitting through the grass at their feet, and ruffling his gray shirt and the Uchiha crest at his back as he stretched his arms high above his head. Catlike in his fluid movements, he exhaled a contented sigh as he felt a couple joints in his spine pop. The motions reminded her way too much of Itachi when he last opened their front door for her, and it teased her with a funny feeling in her gut. When his eyes finally opened, she was met by the sharingan she'd seen so many times before, with three tomoe encasing each pupil.

"So impatient to get your ass kicked." He muttered coolly, almost too quiet for her to hear.

There was something curious about the way he was looking at her. It was hard to place her finger on it, but she couldn't help but feel like he was paying her closer attention than she was used to. Usually when she caught his eye, he seemed uninterested, if not distracted. Though it was a half-lidded gaze, and one she'd seen a thousand times before, this one was honed and alert. Watching her with something hungry and expectant sealed beneath the surface. Like an animal waiting to be freed from its cage, pacing beyond the rigid bars that separated them. Slightly contradictory to his languid pace as he walked slowly towards her.

"Oh, please. The only one who has to worry about their ass around here is you, buddy. I've been getting faster, ya know." Sakura smirked, her hands rising in front of her chest to crack her knuckles in a fist.

Her energy was so different when she was sparring with someone. Training always blessed her with an unrivaled method of rendering whatever she could possibly be worrying about in her personal life obsolete, if only for a short time. Even with this being Sasuke before her, she could feel her gears finally begin turning in a different direction. Shifting from their anxiety and concern over matters she was still trying to navigate, and into an attitude that was more confident and focused on the present moment. To call it liberating was an understatement.

Once their battle was over, things would return to normal...but until then, she would enjoy this brief reprieve from her incessant inner ramblings. She was excited and ready for a new match. It was a long time coming. A part of her had been looking forward to throwing some punches these past few days, and it didn't matter that she already knew deep down she wasn't going to come out on top. She almost never did...not with him...but there was always something to learn from the experience.

"Tch. Don't make promises you can't keep, Sakura..." The way he said her name made her pause. The syllables slipped off his tongue like a swath of luxurious silk drenched in kerosene, ready to ignite into a blaze that promised it would engulf them both indiscriminately.

The glistening jade of her eyes was always easy to pinpoint from a distance. There was nothing unearthly about them, unlike his activated sharingan, but they were naturally striking. He watched them twitch as she ceased with their snide bantering, and consider him with new curiosity.

She could sense it... She didn't know what  _it_ was, but she was aware of something alien weaving its web between them.

"Alright, I have to ask..." She began, wondering where this abrupt tickle of unease came from, like something key was out of place. "Why me? You're always training with Naruto, or your brother, or someone else from your clan. Why did you ask me to spar with you today?"

"Is it that surprising?" His deep voice asked calmly, still making his sluggish trek in her direction. "I gain nothing from fighting the same people over and over again. It's been a while. I want to see how you've changed."

The choice of words he used added to the curiosity that was creeping around in the back of her mind and fueling her suspicion. A very aggravating suspicion, since she was clueless as to what was causing it exactly.

"What makes you think I've changed?" She posed the question evenly, though she was now paying closer attention to his movements, as if she didn't quite trust them to be predictable and placid for much longer. Steadily, her guard was inching up around her, and yet she couldn't explain why. All she did know was that the man across from her wasn't the same teammate that used to make her sigh dreamily one minute, and then want to bang her head against a wall the next. Something was different...a new variable she didn't understand well enough to give a name. It manifested as an unfamiliar divide between them, consequently painting him as more of a true opponent she needed to be careful of, and less of someone she was about to play-fight with.

"I  _know_  you've changed."

The wind was harassing the leaves and grass into an enduring, faint roar around them. Ribbons of pink flickered over her vision as she stared down the unblinking red gaze that was sinking its anchor deeper and deeper into her. This was no mangekyo, but there was something undeniably hypnotizing about his eyes nevertheless. The longer she lingered, the harder it was to pull away. Its effect was stealthy, reeling her in so slowly it was barely detectable, and that made it all the more potent. Unbeknownst to her, this duel had already begun.

Her keen senses and heightened wariness dulled so quickly, it was as if he'd found a way to not only read her mind, but then reach inside of it and distort her perception and level of awareness. Influence her own thoughts, and subdue her nerves. Her guard dissolved alarmingly fast, and she felt inexplicably peaceful as he drew closer. The edge she had on him snuffed out before it could cement its roots, and urge her to stay on her toes.

The shoulders easing back down a millimeter or two as she relaxed didn't go unnoticed, and when she smiled slightly and closed her eyes in a slow blink, he smiled right back for an entirely different reason.

"Well, I can't say y— _gahhk!_ " She felt her stomach cave and wedge up between her lungs. His fist, alight with its own erratically dancing current of electricity, buried into her before she could reopen her eyes a fraction of a second later. Pain seized her with a ripple of searing knives through her nervous system, and almost succeeded in locking her into place, but she managed to spring herself backwards to avoid another punch that came as fast as the first.

His pace matched hers, and the lightning that flashed past one ear with a loud crackle as she jerked, reassured her that catching him with her palm might not be the best idea. She ducked out of the way, missing another streak of light that was aimed for her throat as his fingers flattened out of their fist with a swift chop.

Then she hit the ground. The warm grass smashed against her back like a steel wall, hard enough to rattle her clenched teeth and squeeze a salty drop from her eye. His foot swiped under her while she was busy watching his hands in those fleeting moments.

As he descended on her, the glint of three shuriken nearly sank their razor teeth into his face before he whipped his head back and bounced away from her. Sakura flipped onto her feet and darted after him with a blurring fist veiled in glimmering blue chakra. He evaded one, then two, feeling the shockwaves of raw power beat into the air so close to him, and vibrate over his skin.

He moved so fast, she had no time to think. Of course they came here to spar, but this caught her off guard. There was now warning. He never told her they were starting, just closed that gap between them in a blink and tried to take her head off.

A dull ache throbbed through her torso, bruising under the fist hit he landed. It startled her, but then it made her angry...and that was because she should have known better. He did give her a warning, didn't he? She'd just been too distracted to heed it. As soon as he opened his eyes to meet her with a sharingan—a goddamn loaded weapon—she should have been ready for him.

In all fairness, he did trick her. He could do a lot with those eyes, more than she would ever get to experience, and one of those techniques did include mental manipulation.

"You wanna fight dirty, huh?" She seethed with a growl, chasing after him as he continued to evade her deadly blows that assaulted the empty air with cracks of thunder.

"A real fight is never clean, Sakura. I didn't think you were that naïve."

"Hah! Fine. Try not to cry when I catch up to you, then. I won't hold back."

He smiled at that threat, eyes narrowing as he spun around behind her in a burst of speed. The mirror-like blade of a clean and freshly sharpened kusanagi flew from its sheath at his back and came down on her. She turned with him, catching the blade between her flattened palms. His eyes twitched a hair wider in surprise.

The sole of her foot snapped into his chin from below both of their locked arms, at the same time a loud bang and flash of light shot through the sword and into her. He grunted as the blow jarred through his skull and sent him skidding backwards. Stumbling and readjusting his stance, his sandals raked through the grass and sent it flying up around him in shredded clumps. The kick was hard enough to distort his vision and make his ears ring while he fought through the pain resonating in his skull.

She was knocked back several yards, and hit the ground with two charred and smoking gloves that matched the burnt patch on her red shirt. The thin trickle of blood that seeped from the slit in her gloves when she caught his sword evaporated, the small bit of flayed flesh shaved off by the blade cauterized.

Her hands were tingling wildly, sending bursts of pain up her arms in complaint. A passionate and determined glare settled sharply on him as she climbed to her feet and raced towards him without hesitation. A stream of blood dripped from each corner of his mouth when he raised his head to look at her, leveling his calculating sharingan on the heated emotions that bubbled to the surface and flit all over her face. His were locked away, except for a tiny sliver of excitement he could no longer hold hostage. She recognized it, just as he propelled himself forward to challenger her in a game of chicken.

The glowing blue returned to lap over both fists, prepared to turn that flawless, milky skin of his into all sorts of horrid colors. Waves of electric chakra fluttered over his sword, but it disappeared with a spin and quick sheath as he neared her. Leaping into the air high above her reach, he cupped a hand as he flew overhead, and a wall of neon flames bathed her in a relentless stream from his mouth. She was caught in the center, fading into a black shadow engulfed by the unforgiving heat.

He landed with a roll a safe distance away, skidding into the first row of massive trees, and spun to face what should have been her crispy remains. In their place, a single burnt log thumped to the ground while a puff of smoke drifted away with the wind, surrounded by a wide black circle of smoldering earth.

The quiet tap of her feet launching off a tree trunk alerted him, and he freed his blade while twirling into her. Tiny pink hairs fanned over him as the streak of metal cut through her locks, tickling his face. She managed to duck just in time to avoid a decapitation, and shrieked in a spike of genuine fear. Feet guiding her to slide around him and jump out of the way of another slash, she stared at him with wide eyes.

"Damnit, Sasuke! Are you trying to kill me?" Her chest heaved as she panted, in awe of the wisps of hair that danced around him in their slow descent to the mossy floor. It wasn't a significant amount that he cut off, just a close shave that caused her pores to open in a trickle of sweat down her back. But still... That was too close for comfort.

"If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it a long time ago. Don't be dramatic." He countered calmly, watching her with the most infuriating look that promised he was unaffected by her outburst.

The uninvited flash of a memory distracted her. She could see Itachi seated at the table in the tearoom from her peripheral, while the exotic colors of the garden flickered under the onslaught of rain burned into her. Her chest heaved in anger while he regarded her just as calmly, ironically fueling her own fire. The first time she ever met him, when he insisted she let Sasuke go, and that things would never change between them. It had made her so mad...she had felt so indignant...

This was eery. She didn't like it. That unfamiliar variable budding between them tapered into focus. The kind of tension that was tugging on her nerves here reminded her now of her fight in the tearoom.

She shook her head quickly, as if to fling the memories out of bounds. No, these were coincidences. They were alike because they were brothers. They looked alike, acted alike, and had similar mannerisms because that's just who they were. This match was a true one, like any other she had before in her years of training. This wasn't the tearoom...and it wasn't going to  _become_  the tearoom, ever.

"Don't be so cocky! If I thought I was really fighting for my life, things would be different!" She hissed, and slammed a fist into the ground at her feet. The impact shattered the earth into chunks of spinning rocks-turned-shrapnel, busted roots flailing into whips, and a cloud of spewing dirt that rocketed towards him in an earthen wave.

A flickering shadow pierced through the organic debris at her face, lead by the tip of the sparking kusanagi, with his body protected by a shield of fire that fully encased him. She dove out of the way, and the sound of cracking bark signaled the demise of one of the ancient trees as he sliced into it behind her, splitting it in two with a single swing.

"How would they be different, Sakura?" His stony face returned, betraying the animal that patiently waited inside, out of sight. It observed the hairline fractures spreading through the bars, weakening them over time, and purred in anticipation.

She hopped out of the way of a barrage of kunai. One by one they sank into the ground, their tags exploding on contact to fill the shadowed forest with incinerating clouds that stripped the thick branches off trees and left pockets of barren, smoking ashes in their wake. His silhouette emerged from the last blast, a black shadow born from the wall of expanding flames, as if they couldn't touch him.

A gust of wind rustled her as she dodged that blade again, feeling him whip past her shoulder and land behind her. He was getting faster...or was she getting slower? She didn't like either idea.

"You told me you wouldn't hold back. Aren't you going to make me cry?" A voice so thick and velvet could have soothed anyone under the most chaotic circumstances, and in the past, it had done just that for her. Right now, however, it was nothing but grating. She wanted to punch him in the mouth before he could open it again.

This should have been a fun challenge...humorous, even...but it was starting to leave a sour taste on her tongue. She was getting angry again, and she didn't know why.

Teeth setting into a light clench, a bead of sweat rolled from her tussled hair and down her cheek, streaking the soot with it in a mock tear. Her arm felt warmer than it should be, and she spared a quick glance to see a streak of red flowing freely down her bare bicep and coiling around her forearm. That was unexpected. She lifted her arm to get a better look at her shoulder, and found the clean slice he had landed with his blade. It was so sharp, she didn't even feel it cut into her. As she moved it around, the sliver yawned into a mouth, blooming like a bloody rose, and allowing it to gush faster.

The Uchiha half-expected her to pause long enough to stop the bleeding, but she didn't. A single eye targeted him through her hair, and he recognized for a split-second his own beast staring back into him. A sight she never presented him with before. Inside, the first bar of his self-inflicted cage shattered.

"Fine." She whispered through her teeth, turned, and disappeared amongst the pillars of bark.

The blade hung at his side while he stood motionless, waiting. His ears traced her fading footsteps through the moist earth protected by the dense canopy, and then out into the soft crackling of the dry grass that belonged to the field.

Did she want him to chase her? How cute.

"Hm.." The gleaming sharingan narrowed in the darkness, and he pushed after her, keeping his sword at the ready as he flickered in and out between the trees.

A loud rumbling shook through him, almost throwing him off balance. The leaves above shuddered violently, freeing some to flutter down past him. His curiosity was sated when the bright sunlight bathed him at the entrance to the forest, just in time for a boulder a few square yards larger than his own house to come barreling toward him like a roaring meteor.

Sakura panted in the middle of the field behind a deep and ragged crater, the source of the massive rock she unearthed with pure strength. The juggernaut spun loose earth in every direction as it crashed into the ground, bounced once, and demolished the trees like helpless bowling pins. They snapped and cracked like bones, flinging splinters of wood, torn branches, and jerking free centuries' old roots from the soil.

Her knees bent and sprung her over the gaping crater, where she landed on the opposite edge and continued at full speed back to the shredded mess of trees left behind. The boulder was still churning its destruction deeper into the forest when she found him, bruised and bloodied against an upturned tree he appeared to have been pancaked against. Sasuke fell forward amidst the haze of dust, blood spurting from his mouth as he coughed, and he braced himself on one knee with an arm around his waist.

Their eyes met when he looked up, each reflecting the pale blue glow of her fist as she punched him square in the nose. His head flung back, painting her in a spray of crimson droplets before his back hit the ground. Knees crunched down on either side of him, he looked up into her blurry figure, haloed in chakra as she started beating him senseless. Batting his head from one direction to the opposite like a cat playing with a ball of yarn. A very large, violent cat, with sledgehammers for paws.

"Let me know when you've had enough." Sweat dripped from her snarling face down onto his, mixed with his own blood and remnants of ash. The hilt of his sword fell from his grip as he turned limp, and she felt the muscles flexing and twitching under her loosen, as if he was fading from consciousness.

"You're forgetting something..." He gurgled through a pocket of frothing blood and spit, vacant gaze focusing on nothing as she landed another blow. Her eyes narrowed on him, but she didn't budge.

Knuckles slick with perspiration and smeared dirt, a light shower of pulverized wood chips sprinkled against her face. She blinked, and the disfigured pulp of a man beneath her suddenly became a prone tree. A giant one, as she then realized the ground she thought her knees were touching was in fact gauged bark. The broken cheekbones that she was batting around were mere dents in the rough brown surface, and slivers of wood were sticking out of her fists like small porcupine needles.

He'd never been there. It was that goddamn sharingan again...

The fallen tree groaned and creaked as she lurched to her feet and turned around. Blazing red greeted her, inches from her face, and then he returned the blows she thought she had given him. A knee to her stomach lifted her into the air, a kick shot her higher, and an uppercut snapping electric heat launched her through broken branches and into the blinding light of the sun above the very tops of the haggard forest.

He sprang off the highest, stable branch after her, chasing her into the air with no intent in letting her touch the ground anytime soon. Another punch sucked the last of the oxygen from her lungs. Her mouth gaped soundlessly, feeling her insides cramp under the strain. A watery eye peeked open at him, and the coldest fire burned her as he stared back, right below her.

For a moment frozen in time, she was sure she could read him for once in her life. Nothing but the wind touched them up there. The last golden rays of summer warmed her back, and over his shoulder, a stretch of green and wisps of distant smoke warned her of the rough landing they were in for...but none of it really mattered. Right now, she was seeing into him, past the ringed tomoe and into an abyss that cloaked every one of this true thoughts, perceptions, and intentions...just like they did to someone else she knew.

She saw her own anger and determination mirrored back. A few nights ago when she encountered him on his own porch, blocking her exit, she had glimpsed traces...but he locked them away and shut her down, like he always did when something was bothering him. They were still held captive from her, their true intensity unknown, but she could see the evidence of their existence seeping through the cracks now.

This was more than innocent play-fighting after all. This meeting meant...something. She didn't know what, but she had a feeling she was going to find out soon.

His next fist stopped short of its target, and the back of his hand ached when her fingers dug into him. She caught him, bloody arm quivering under the force and currents of his chakra that blasted into her palm. Their eyes narrowed on each other, hair fluttering as they loomed even higher, propelled his assaults.

She was stronger than him. She always was, and she always would be. If she did manage to hit him with a makeshift meteor, or one of those fists, he knew he would regret it. In the back of his mind, he also knew that one day she was bound to reach a level of ferocity and power that would indeed challenge Tsunade, but she wasn't going to discover that here. It was easy to trick her into feeling weaker than she was when he had that sharingan in his arsenal, and he needed that. The point of this wasn't to test themselves in a fair fight. He couldn't care less what she was physically capable of right now, even if she did impress him.

"What is it, Sasuke? Why are we really here?" The question forced its way through clenching resistance as she fought to catch her breath. Her hand shook as it refused to surrender to his fist, even as wire-thin bolts of lightning contorted around her arm, and the rest of the current took advantage of the blood, and followed its crimson path to shock her. Burning her from the inside as steam trailed faintly from the wound on her shoulder. Her muscles were seizing, arm recoiling gradually as he sapped the strength from her, but she wouldn't let go.

"You think I have a hidden motive." He gave voice to her suspicion, watching her as light shuddered between their hands, growing in intensity as the power built. Struggling against her blue flames that tried to swallow it whole.

"Yes... I don't like it." She admitted a quiet truth, paying far more attention to the beautiful, deadly pair of red in front of her than the wild clash of chakra battling next to their heads.

"You don't like it when something is kept from you?" His cool voice bathed her ear as he ripped her forward and caught her in an embrace. The sudden closeness dazed her, and she stared at the scenery below through the feathery black strands of hair touching her face. Heat burst into her palm with little warning, like a solar flare breaking free from a source he was losing control of, until she could no longer feel her individual fingers stubbornly gripping him as if her life depended on it.

His other hand secured around her waist, digging into the back of her shirt. The fabric twisted in his fingers, pressing her tightly into his chest. She listened to his breathing tremor lightly, and it sparked another memory to rise from its neglected depths. One that involved Itachi smothering her as he pinned her to a wall. The tension was palpable between her and her teammate, just like it was back then.

"I don't either..."

Her eyes narrowed skeptically, and then she cried out and tumbled wildly through the air. He released her with a shove, and kicked with both feet into her hips to fire her away from him. Her ascent was painfully redirected into a descent. He fell with her as a small dark figure, much too far away now for her to ever reach. She would have to wait until they landed for a counter attack.

Hands clasping in front of his chest, she saw them form a single sign while a wicked smirk twitched above them. The lightning bolt was thicker than anything she'd seen yet, and it manifested with a deafening clap from the sky above her that shot her equilibrium, and wracked every cell in her body with agony. It traveled through her and struck the ground below, turning her vision white, and shutting down the rest of her senses. The whistling wind faded along with gravity, and her body fell limp and hurdled downward helplessly.

The leer followed her all the way, waiting for a twitch of life to return. Limbs dangled without purpose, picking up speed the closer she got to the chaotic mess of jagged, broken forest. Her eyes remained closed with a look of vague concern and sadness marring her face. She would never wake up in time.

When the tops of the trees shot up, he kicked off one of them to launch at her. He grunted roughly, catching her dead weight in his arms just before she hit the mountain of debris, and landed with a crouch that billowed a cloud of fresh dust and ash up around them. The scent of burnt flesh hung in the air, steam rising in ribbons from beneath her hot clothes. Miraculously, her hair didn't combust into flames, but the sweat on her face was gone, and the fresh blood that was pouring from her shoulder was now an ugly smudge of black. Tiny flakes of it broke apart and disappeared into the wind.

The sharp glint of mischief in his eyes melted gradually as they traveled the dirty creases of her parted lips and up to her streaked eyelids. Her breaths were shallow, and somewhat irregular. Part of him wondered if he seriously injured her, but he didn't take the possibility to heart. He was always mindful enough not to unleash the full extent of his abilities when he was training with someone...even if this wasn't exactly what he would call training. Surely she wasn't that fragile...

"Sakura..."

Silence met him. She was a doll in his arms that he could bend and shift at will, but he kept hold of her in his lap and listening intently, waiting for her to come to. The unnatural heat of her skin prickled his fingertips as he glided them delicately over her chest to her neck. They pressed lightly, feeling her pulse. A bounding, fast rhythm peaked his curiosity, and yet she remained dormant.

Cautiously, his fingers left her throat, and brushed up the curve of her jaw. A thumb touched her bottom lip for the first time in all the years they spent together. It gave easily under the barest pressure, and he stroked along its length and then traced over her top lip in the same manner. Breath beating gently into him, he stopped and let it hover there near the corner of her mouth.

A sigh burst from him that was somewhat angry and defeated, and he pulled his hand from her face as he snapped back to his senses. His eyes slipped closed, and he hung his head over her. He could do nothing if she was unconscious. That wasn't part of the plan. Maybe he didn't hold back as much as he thought he did.

"Idiot. I thought you were stronger than this." He growled in annoyance, unsure of how long he should wait there with her in a sea of mutilated and dying vegetation.

With a loud smack and crunch of cartilage, a force struck his face violently. His grip on her vanished, leaving her in his lap as his back hit the ground. Blood gushed from his nose and mouth, and then he felt the once limp body on him disappear. His feet were moving before he could gain his bearings, meaning to jump backwards and far away from his assailant, but another hit caught his cheek. The joints in his neck popped under the pressure as his head ripped to the side, and then he was struck in the gut, and lifted off the ground. He landed feet away, bits of wood and cracked rocks biting into his flesh as he skid and scrambled to his feet.

The blood was very real this time, having been truly caught off guard. An amazing feat to pull off with someone like him. Framed in throbbing pain, his eyes cracked open and found her standing across from him atop a small collection of branches. Body shaking lightly, she fixated a triumphant glare on him that caused him to instantly freeze. His eyes sharpened in return. Another invisible bar crumbled to dust within him.

She didn't need to speak. His own words were written all over her face mockingly.

_A real fight is never clean..._

"When did you wake up?" He asked in quiet skepticism, hand blocking his mouth in a loose fist as blood dripped over it, and from his hidden chin beneath. The disturbed dust sifted around him as he knelt on one knee, leaving the kusanagi in its sheath.

"Right before you caught me. Thanks for breaking my fall." Her smirk made his eyes narrow into red slits, but he didn't move, and neither did she. A stillness claimed them, filled with nothing but shafts of sunlight illuminating the insignificant particles of brown and black remnants of their destruction.

She breathed more heavily than he did, especially now that she didn't have to fake that erratic, shallow breath anymore, but she wasn't the only tired one. He never expected her to pull something like that off so convincingly. If she wanted to wallow in this victory—for he knew she perceived it as one—then so be it...but he would not underestimate her again. This cheekiness of hers was destined to be short-lived.

That seemed to be the least of her concern, however. Her smirk, smudged with dirt and tingling wildly with the recent memory of the pad of his thumb exploring her, sank back down into nothing. Exhausted, she relaxed into a more natural posture. Arms falling to her sides, feet shifting to stand plainly before him, she withdrew from her fighting stance to carefully watch his crouched form in the sea of clouds.

"You touched me... Why?" The muscles in her throat flexed and tightened nervously. The sensation had been so soft, yet amplified by its implication, and she knew she was never going to forget it. The fact that she hadn't jerked or gasped in the process, and betrayed her own false unconsciousness, was amazing to her. A touch like, that from him, of all people... That needed an explanation, and everything else in the world was going to halt until she got one. He wouldn't back out of this, or play it down. She was going to grip it and whittle it down to its raw, naked core, regardless of what the result could mean.

There was nothing he could say to her. While her throat closed up and made swallowing difficult, his suddenly felt dry. Then again, he was inhaling an awful lot of dust, but that wasn't the true culprit to his discomfort.

Sneaky bitch... Next time he'll let her hit the ground.

They stared silently at one another. Her heart continued to thump harder than it should, and he debated what his next course of action would be. Meanwhile, his gaze broke from hers without revealing a single thought or emotion, and traveled over her from head to toe. Immersed in the tears, stains, and charred marks of her battered uniform. The tan skirt she wore was now shades of dark brown, gray, and black. Red shirt now ripped where his first, charged punch burnt through the fabric, creating a window to the discolored flesh of her stomach. The hand that blocked him in the air was black and red, and looked swollen. The only trace of her black glove was the frayed band around her wrist, hanging on by a thread. Her other glove was intact, though most of the fabric over her palm was burnt off.

Compared to her, he was in good shape. Bruised and swollen in some place, notably around his mouth and nose, but otherwise without complaint.

A flash of green light ignited in each hand when he failed to move or speak, feeling it was safe to let her guard down enough to heal herself a little. The warm light in her mangled hand concentrated on itself, mending the skin and deeper structures back into painless, healthy tissue and bone. Her opposite hand clamped over the crusted gash over her shoulder.

His face might have been calm, but the rest of his body language ensured that she wouldn't keep her eyes off of him for more than a second at a time. The way he huddled close to the ground, soundless and mysterious, reminded her of a wild animal. A feral beast that could only be trusted at a safe distance, so long as it wasn't let out of sight. She still didn't believe those eyes, either. They were hiding something from her, she was sure of it. But he definitely confused her...

Why did he do that? He surprised her once when he saved her from splatting into the ground. Maybe she didn't think he really wanted her dead or debilitated, but she also didn't expect him to go out of his way to help her...especially when he was the one who put her in danger initially. Then he touched her, and there's no way in hell he could claim that was an ordinary touch. After the first swipe of his thumb, she half-expected him to lean down and kiss her. Thank Kami he didn't, or she would have lost her shit.

Before she could finish tending to her wounds, he stood. The movement was slow and casual, yet her hands instinctively flared into that brighter, threatening blue. They both paused and eyed each other warily. Even her hip tilted back a degree to widen and angle her stance.

Flecks of blood dripped from his short fingernails as he started towards her, brushing his caked mouth against the sleeve of his shoulder to soak up the worst of it. Twigs and rocks crunched under his feet in their languid movement, sounding so much louder than they should. They were likely the only two living beings for a kilometer, with how ruthlessly they shook up the earth and sky. No creature that valued its life would dare to linger too close to them.

He never took his eyes off her, and the fact that his sharingan was still activated made her reluctant to drop her glowing fists. If he thought she would use them against him, it didn't deter him from boldly closing the gap. He still hadn't said a word, and that bothered her, but she wouldn't be the first to strike if they resumed their fight.

"You liked it, didn't you." His dark lashes inched lower into what she thought was a glare. Smoldering and accusing eyes considered her, as if he knew her so well.

"What...?" She whispered quietly, concern flaring her nose and flitting her gaze over him quickly, trying to decode his intentions. Waiting to see if he would lunge for her with that sword again.

The legs in front of him bent as he crept closer, her fists tightening and drawing in reflexively. It was obvious she was ready to defend, yet currently had no desire to attack him. She was at odds with herself, as she couldn't understand what he was doing. If he would just seal away those patterned red eyes, she would feel an immense relief, but he didn't.

She held her breath when his hand stretched for her, and the balls of light humming around her fists shined brighter in warning. He didn't even glance their way as he reached above them, staring into her eyes while a bloody thumb brushed over her bottom lip without explanation. A smear of red painted as it tickled her gently, following the same motions it had when she was limp in his arms. He never wavered, or blinked...he merely held her in a firm, unspoken challenge.

He stopped when his thumb reached the corner of her mouth, and kept her cheek in his palm. Her eyes were startled saucers, unable to move as she watched him lean into her, and block out the dusty rays of sun beyond. They were tingling again, and she felt herself jump when his thumb smoothed away from her mouth, and was replaced by the lightest touch of his lips against hers as he tilted his head. A drop of blood pooled between them, but he didn't kiss her.

The chakra hovering so close to his waist, that he was seemingly fearless of, began to fizzle out as her concentration shattered. Its dying light sputtered and blinked, and then disappeared into nothing. Carefully, her hands opened and brushed against him, as if she meant to push him away, but she couldn't move any further once the fabric hit her palms, molding over the defined lines of his chest beneath.

"I said... You liked it." Words murmuring into her lips, she distinctly felt each syllable massage her as he spoke. She looked up at him, and the tomoe masked him as he stared back.

Inhaling a shaky breath, she abruptly flew backwards, regaining the space she desperately needed to keep between them before he overwhelmed her so much she was left without a single logical thought to help her.

She did, though. She  _did_  like it, and they both knew that. She allowed him to get far too close than was appropriate for someone who didn't. Blame it on curiosity, or confusion, or whatever the hell else she thought would explain her reaction, but it wasn't the whole truth. The fact that he had just touched her intimately for the first time in his life was exhilarating enough to feel like a potent narcotic had just flooded her veins. And just like a narcotic, it loomed with its own dangers under the high of euphoria.

But it didn't matter. She didn't want him. That was another first... She didn't  _want_  him to touch her, even if there was something exciting about it. And  _that_ , she could honestly say without a shadow of a doubt. Not because she no longer found him attractive, or because she stopped caring about him, but because she found someone better than him. She found someone who made her happy, instead of constantly making her feel like an annoying pest. He had the past decade to acknowledge her feelings for him, but he brushed her off too many times. She wasn't about to be tricked by him now.

So yes, she did like it...but she wasn't prepared to let it happen again.

"Sasuke, what's gotten into you? You're not making any sense." Disarmed with shock, everything she thought she understood about him was now up in the air. This was one of the last things in the world she thought would happen to her, though she used to waste so much time wishing it would. Then again, she could recall thinking a similar thing when his brother surprised her so unexpectedly in the tearoom months ago.

For fuck's sake, her life was just beginning to turn right-side up again! Fate sure liked to mess with her head.

Weak. Her voice was so weak it disgusted him. It was nothing like the power she asserted when she was fighting him minutes ago. Her mannerisms shed some light on her psyche, though. No matter how strong and smart she was, there was still that naïve and vulnerable little girl hiding inside that he could trip into the open. He knew how she was wired...he always knew...but her reaction just now reinforced that knowledge.

The rest of the gate inside him dissolved into nothing, and he was unable to keep the corners of his once boring mouth from creeping up in a grin that was saturated in implications.

"Is it a fetish?" He asked curiously, head cocking as he watched her curiously.

"What?!" She choked on the word.

"Do you have an Uchiha fetish, Sakura?" He started towards her again, and her mouth twitched wordlessly. The littered ground tangled around her clumsy feet as she backed away from him, refusing to let him get so close to her again. Did she hit him too hard? Had she caused him to lose his damn mind?

"An Uchiha  _fetish_? What the hell is that supposed t—"

Something rough chafed into her scalp when he slammed into her, moving at a speed that was typical for a member of his clan. Faster than she could keep up with, when he really wanted to gain the upper hand. One of the massive, toppled trees was at her back, with his arms caging her between them. They didn't hold her down, not even when her face lit up with the reflection of her chakra-infused fists again. Close enough that they could easily inflict serious damage, but he chose not to acknowledge them.

The warmth of his body encased her, careless of the threat she possessed while her eyes quivered unblinking into his, and her fingers clenched and released in uncertainty. She wouldn't hurt him. Not now. She was too baffled yet to get a hold of herself.

"You annoyed me for years. Always following me around like a lost puppy..."

Her skin burned under the heat of his gaze as he inspected her closely, but it didn't last. Flames turned to ice, and then clouded doubt, and then anger, and even sadness...too fast for her to keep up. They clamored for control inside of him, probably because they were so used to being smothered out of sight and neglected. Always forbidden from being expressed. Now they were breaking free, and bit by bit, starting to consume him.

"I almost believed you, towards the end, you know. You insisted so many times you loved me that I took your word for it. I started to think, maybe it's not just an obsessive crush you couldn't get over."

A tiny squeak escaped her throat, but otherwise she gaped in silence. Trying to stomach what he was revealing to her, and too afraid to move a muscle while the rise and fall of his chest pressed into her continuously.

"But now I know you didn't love me. It was just an infatuation, wasn't it?" He paused and waited for her to answer, but she was mute.

"It's okay if it was, Sakura...I just want you to admit it." Fingertips touched her cheek gently, moving a clump of stringy, dirtied hair out of her face. He was unpredictable. Every time his hand moved, it pulled her nerves taut in anticipation. One soft touch contradicted the next hateful glare...one rough shove contradicted a fleeting glimpse of sorrow and regret. It was a peek into his own psyche, in a way. He was a mess. He'd just been so good at hiding it until now.

She forced herself to swallow, and was revolted by the taste in her mouth. Full of copper and dirt, and so scratchy she had to quell a cough.

"What does this have to do with a fetish?" The question whispered into the air, and his gaze fell to her lips as they moved. There were so many things he needed to clarify after those few sentences, she didn't know where to begin, but her chest was beginning to feel very cold and tight.

"I didn't give you the attention you were looking for." He murmured distractedly, and she caught the spark that returned in his eyes. Trained on her bottom lip in fascination, yet in such a way that made her feel unsafe. Like at any given moment, he would rip it off with his teeth.

"So you jumped into the bed of the first Uchiha who would..."

Sakura gasped loudly, and his eyes snapped up to hers sharply. Daring her to deny it.

"Is that all you wanted, Sakura?" His face drifted closer, and her scalp crawled with the sensation of his fingers snaking up the nape of her neck and into her hair. She was pulled into him tightly, allowing room for his hand to fan over the back of her head in place of the fallen tree, with the other secured her hip.

"I thought you possessed more restraint than that, but if you wanted someone to touch you—" She let out a shaky breath, hands snatching his sides firmly to dig her nails into his skin. Pushing at him, but he wouldn't budge, "—you should have just asked."

"What are you talking about?!" Panic trickled with her words. He was everywhere, all over her, overwhelming in his presence as she had never felt so much of it at once. The force of her thudding heart beat through her chest and into his, competing with his own as it hammered at a noticeable, yet slower pace than hers.

"I saw you with him." Needles pricked her when his grip on her hair tightened painfully, pulling her head back slightly.

"I watched him hold you down, and bury his face between your legs." She squeaked at the wet mouth that found her ear as he arched over her, smoothing over her skin in a kiss. Each twitch of his lips, vibrating with his own words, made something coil in her bruised stomach.

"How many times did you fuck him?" Her neck craned further against her will, guided by his hand.

"Sasuke—"

"How many times did you scream for him?" At first she thought it was her own body, but then she realized it was his that was shaking.

"Stop—"

" _Why?!_ " He lost it in a surge of rage. The abrupt roar stabbed her in the ear, and caused her to jerk into him.

He heard the energy erupt from her before it touched him, and released her to blur out of her reach. She lunged after him, aiming for his head with a fist, but when he tried to dodge, she swung with the other at the last second, using a burst of speed. The sharingan caught her intention, but he couldn't move fast enough to avoid this one.

An arm cushioned the blow that would have cracked his occipital bone, and he careened through the columns of rising dust, thrusting them into glittering swirls as he whizzed past. His feet dug into the dirt, slowing him down and kicking earthen debris everywhere.

"Because I don't want you touching me." She panted harshly, struggling to wrestle her own emotions under control. His inner chaos stirred up hers, the one she thought was finally put to rest. Fury, shock, sadness, lust... She wanted none of it, but it was tangling into her now and making it so hard to think clearly.

"You lying—" He shot forward, the thin blade of his sword hissing close to her ear as she jumped aside, "—manipulative—" thrust a flurry of shuriken after her, which she avoided with a backflip, ''—slut!"

"SLUT!" She shrieked, so surprised by his insult that she stumbled over her own foot and almost tripped to the ground when she landed her flip.

"Who the hell do you think you are?! You have no right to call me that!" Those wrestling emotions fell to the wayside when a swell of rage rose above them all, and her vision faded red briefly.

"You don't tell someone you love them for ten years, and then turn around and fuck—"

" _You_  don't get to tell me what's appropriate to do with my life! Since when do you care, Sasuke?! You ignored me for those ten years and called me annoying every chance you got! It shouldn't mean a damn thing to you if I decided to move on with some other guy—"

"He's not some other guy, he's  _my brother_ , Sakura! You don't get to sneak behind my back and fuck  _my brother_  like it's no big deal!" He bared his teeth, jaw clenching with almost enough force to crack them.

"Is it your idea of petty revenge? I know you have choices... There have always been guys trying to flirt with you, and you turn them down every time. But you went after Itachi. Why? Because I was too busy training, too busy focusing on my future, to get wrapped up in some stupid romance with you?"

"Oh, you are so full of yourself, aren't you..." The laughter that followed was slightly deranged with anger and damaged pride. She couldn't believe what was coming out of his mouth.

"You really think this has anything to do with you? You think the reason I'm sleeping with him is to get under your skin? If that was the case, I would have thrown it in your face in the very beginning!" She glared at him, keeping a generous amount of space between them as they turned in a slow circle, stalking one another and sizing each other up as the secrets they both sheltered for far too long began unraveling.

"Then what is it? Why, of all the guys you could choose from in Konoha, did you pick him? If it's not to piss me off, then tell me...  _Is it_  an Uchiha thing?" He seethed quietly with dark intent, but he was patient enough to bide his time and follow her in this dance.

She halted at his last sentence and sighed hotly through her nose like a steaming bull.

"Shisui also seems to be fond of you, did you know? I wonder... Would you let him touch you, too?"

Her eyes bulged, unsure of just how much more she could take from him before she literally exploded into bloody confetti. The resentment and scorn was tearing her apart, and yet she possessed enough rational thought for everything to click into place in a quiet, narrow corner of her mind. He was jealous. He was so jealous he couldn't stand it, and it was reducing him into this spiteful, vengeful state he could no longer reign under control. Who would have thought...

He had to be. He wouldn't be spewing this nonsense if he wasn't jealous. She certainly refused to believe that Shisui would have feelings for her. There was no way. He was making that up, and it was uncalled for.

She didn't answer him, too in awe of this realization. It snagged her focus enough that she didn't catch his change of pace, either.

"Would you? Or maybe you already did..." His breath flooded her face. When she looked up, he was standing uncomfortably close to her again. Dark hair shadowed his accusing eyes. Something was holding him back from his next move. She didn't know what it was, but she could feel it hanging by a thread, ready to snap...and she was determined to beat him to it.

"It hurts to know you think so little of me, Sasuke." She whispered to him, all trace of anger in her voice vanishing. That simple truth tripped him somehow, and he watched her turn and run away. Feet glued at first to the ground, he fumbled with his will to chase after her, but it didn't last long.

"We're not done yet." He growled quietly and sprang to life.

"I know." She responded shortly, before she stopped at the base of one of the countless fallen trees, crouched down, and lifted it off the ground. It groaned ominously, raining woodchips and dirt while its branches rattled. The circumference was broad enough that it would require half a dozen people to link around it with outstretched arms, and yet she dipped to pick it up with the ease of scooping a kitten off the ground.

The broken tree swung around in a half-circle through the air like a baseball bat from hell, and smashed him into its side. Fresh blood coughed from his mouth, forced into the wind by his caving chest. The world spun into a blotchy collage of colors.

"That's for calling me a slut." He heard her snap distantly.

The steady pressure keeping the air from his lungs lessened when she released the tree, leaving it to spin far into the field beyond.

A black speck emerged on the colossal missile while it soared, raced down the length of it, and rocketed back in her direction with a fierce purpose. She flinched, trying to duck quick enough to escape him, but his foot collided with her forehead and knocked her for a loop. They both tumbled and rolled, smashing through a pile of sticks and coming to a rough stop at the base of a living, erect tree.

Blood dripped in swift beads from his chin, his breathing labored and harassed by sharp prickling aches and pain that pulsed in time with the expanding and contracting of his ribcage, but he wobbled upright and came for her again.

Splinters bit into her knees and palms as she struggled to get to her feet. Every time she thought she could pinpoint the ground, gravity seemed to blink away and reappear in a different location. Knocking her around over and over again, until she gave up and collapsed on her stomach in a heap of dust. Her head was pounding and her neck hurt, but at least it was still attached to her shoulders. Arms cradled her skull with a groan. There was going to be a nasty lump above her eyes very soon. She only hoped she could heal it before she ran low on chakra. Walking home wasn't going to be fun after all this.

She couldn't move. Her body was flat against the ground, and yet her equilibrium insisted she was trapped in a tornado. The loud thump that came down all around her caused her to twitch, expecting another attack that she wasn't prepared to defend. His hands and knees straddled her, and a light pattering of steady drops stained her shirt with his blood.

"Sasuke—!" She gasped in pain when he rolled her onto her back to face him, and squinted her eyes as the sunlight blinded her through the crack in her arms trying to shield her face. He pulled them apart with little effort, smacking them down into the dirt. A red welt in the shape of the grooves on the sole of his foot throbbed angrily upon reveal.

The pale arms locked under his quivered faintly. Eyelids creased tightly shut while she concentrated on clearing her mind and fighting through her pain and disorientation. Now that she was turned upright, he eased down over her, and the shadow of his face blocked the harsh light from her eyes. She waited for his next assault in vain.

Opening them cautiously, she stared up at him. He was quite blurry, but a wave of relief found her when she saw his sharingan was deactivated. That was unexpected. There was a disadvantage with those black eyes peering down at her, though. They were harder to read. Either that, or he successfully closed the window to his soul on her. She was once again reacquainted with the more mysterious side of him.

The weight of his hand left her arm, and she saw it drift to her face. She flinched again, sucking in her breath nervously. The reaction paused him for a moment, and then he resumed to grip her chin. He watched the fragile, parted lips he had touched earlier with his thumb. Listened to the tired, haggard breaths that matched his own. The vibrant gaze trying to understand him was unfocused, pupils slightly larger than normal.

A small sound of fearful disapproval came from her when he leaned down, catching her off guard with a tentative caress of his lips. His mouth moved slow as he experimented with her, vaguely surprised when she didn't immediately bite him. Wet with his own blood, the kiss became hungry by her lack of resistance, until his tongue invaded her. Tickling over the tip of her own in a curious sweep, and then lapping deeper. She shuddered involuntarily, and he moved to claim her bottom lip between his, sucking gently and kneading in a curious fashion with the thick muscle. She was dry, sour with dirt, and salty with sweat, and yet he suddenly couldn't get enough. He wanted to suck her into swollen welts and find ways to taste her deeper still.

He had no idea if it was possible to hate and love someone at the same time. Such a clash of opposite emotions couldn't exist for long, without one overruling the other...could it? It was unnatural. But that was the only description he could come up with when he reluctantly reflected on his current feelings for her...unnatural. The urge to ram his chidori under the cusp of her ribs entered his mind, but it was overshadowed by another urge that wanted to ravage her in a completely different way. This woman was maddening. He couldn't decide what to do with her.

"Mmmph...mmm—Sasuke!" Her desperate voice shouted past him when she flung her head to the side, unnerved by his advance, but admittedly taking longer than she should have to escape him. Just like before.

This was insane.

She was relieved when he didn't force her to face him again, and sighed quietly at the feel of him slipping into the crook of her neck. He rested his head there, panting beneath her ear. On either side of her, the dirt crunched into his closing fists as he tensed, bracing himself against the colliding waves of contradicting intentions ripping his resolve.

"How did we get here..." She asked, so soft and defeated he could barely hear her.

Of course, she knew what all of this was about. His outburst made it perfectly clear that he was aware of her relationship with Itachi. It wasn't an official one, but the fact that she did sleep with him more than once was an issue that was long overdue for discussion.

She was going to tell him. This wasn't meant to be a secret forever. It probably shouldn't have been a secret to begin with, but she didn't know what to do back then. She was scared and confused and didn't even know how she felt about what happened for the longest time. How could she breach the subject without first comprehending what her own stance on it was? Goddamnit... It was never supposed to end up like this.

But that didn't give him the right to go off on her the way he did. You would've thought she committed some horrific offense against him.

Why... Why  _did_  he care so much...

At this point, she wasn't sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

"How long have you known?" She asked, finding it hard to swallow again as she closed her eyes. The taste of his bloody saliva lingered in her mouth, coating it in a reminder of how unpredictable he remained even now, how she should stay on guard...and also how she wasn't as innocent as she wanted to claim herself to be.

"That was your yukata under his robe back then, wasn't it..." His deep voice rumbled, much calmer, and much less accusing than it had been not long ago. It would be a mistake to feel soothed by it, though. Her guard wouldn't fall completely around him anymore. That didn't mean she would be able to react as fast as she needed to if he attacked her again, but she at least wouldn't trust him.

"Yes." She peeped, body motionless in exhaustion.

The silence that followed was more agonizing that it deserved to be. It made her feel guilty, and she didn't want to feel guilty anymore. She didn't want to think she did anything wrong. Even if he was out of bounds in the way he treated her, and even if she had every right to fall for another man, the thought that she actually might have hurt him somehow was a thorn in her side. It would only fester and spread if she didn't take care of it.

She was a natural fighter, but she was always much happier healing people than she was hurting them. That was never going to change.

Her cheek brushed into him with a turn of her head. The muscular form slouched over her was creeping into focus the longer she rested, morphing the blotch of red and white on his back into the symbol of the Uchiha crest. Drenched in sweat and rattling with his labored breaths. His hair smoothed against her, and she tilted closer to his ear.

"What are you thinking?"

A dry laugh puffed into her neck. Slowly, he dragged his cheek along hers, and cast her a strange look. She tried to read him, but it was still hard. He did a good job of keeping his expression tame, while he was anything but. Admittedly, it was a little frightening when she was able to explore what lied beyond the stubborn barrier he always guarded himself with, but she preferred not to be left in the dark right now, given the circumstances.

All of this was so surreal. She only wished she had more time to think. There was so much he had thrown at her that she needed to sift through.

"You should have told me." His wrists slid across the ground, closing in on her as he propped himself on his elbows on either side of her head. Caging her and erasing everything but the sound of his heavy breath and the heat of his gaze from existence.

"I know. But it's so complicated, I didn't know how to—ah..." She gasped quietly, muscles in her abdomen tightening. His hips lowered the rest of their weight onto her, and she felt her legs part a little wider at the invasion. The bulge in his pants was mild, but given how tight and thin her shorts were, she could feel its faint pressure slide into the juncture of her thighs.

"Sakura..." He was heavy. Everything from the physical weight of him sprawled over her, to the insistence in his voice. He was tired of fighting himself as much as he was fighting her.

"I would have given you what you wanted, if you had just asked..."

Her mind was numb to what he was implying. Earlier, he mentioned something along those lines, but it didn't quite register. It had the chance to now, but it was such a bizarre statement that she couldn't accept what it meant. He would have to spell it out for her, or it was going to fly through one ear and out the other. And why not? There had never been a reason for her to believe he would one day say or do things like this to her.

"Just asked what?" She took the bait, though her subconscious was panicking and reeling in the background.

"Kami..." He groaned in frustration. A deep ache clenched his insides, and he relaxed fully on top of her. Dead weight slumped down, squeezing her lungs in his embrace. She should be more careful of what she wished for.

The memories wracked him mercilessly. They haunted his dreams, disrupted his concentration during the day, and made it increasingly difficult to get her out of his head. Ever since he saw her in a sweaty, jumbled mess of stained bedsheets and strewn fabric, pink face and pouting lips that made noises he never imagined she could create, he wanted her. It was killing him, and he hated himself for being unable to conquer the temptation she presented. It all came from left field, and he was just as shocked by it as she was.

Days had passed. Only a handful of days, but it was strong enough to fragment his thoughts and desires. He was still angry. No, angry wasn't even close enough...but if he had to be honest, it wasn't all her fault. She lied to him, tried to bury the truth when he started picking up on the little inconsistencies. And yet, he wasn't allowed to feel angry. Everyone kept saying she was the only reason his brother was even alive. His own goddamn brother, who refused to open his mouth about anything that happened the night he showed up to the hospital as a cold, dead corpse, let alone say a word about Sakura. But that was a completely different issue. The majority of his pain wouldn't be shared with her. It was bad enough that he couldn't stop himself from coming undone the way he already had. She didn't need to know the rest.

Nevertheless, he couldn't take it anymore. He wanted to claw into his own scalp, rip out his hair and scream. He wanted to murder something. Worst of all, he wanted  _her_.

"I want to feel you shake." He hissed, grimacing as if he was in pain, and she felt his body clamp down around her. Hips grinding up into hers, nuzzling beneath the flap of her skirt. One hand smoothed up her side and clenched his fingers into her ribs, raking the ridges through her shirt.

"I want you stripped bare and dripping for me. I want your thighs spread and bucking into me as I fill you...bury my cock so far into you that I can feel your pulse. I want you trembling under me as you cum, Sakura... Should I keep going?" He all but snarled into her, eyes squeezing shut. Lips claimed her throat in a kiss, leaving his bloody marks to spread over her as he traveled to her clavicle. Face disappearing between the open collar of her shirt to suck rough welts.

She shivered uncontrollably under the wrath of his lustful confession. Her empty core pulsed to life with those raw, primal words. Aching to be sated in the very way he promised to provide. A fleeting look of thready anticipation betrayed her, but was immediately shut down a moment later.

"No." She gasped the word. It sounded so strong and loud when it fired from the depths of her mind, splitting through the budding, carnal excitement he managed to stir ruthlessly within her. But it became a mere wisp of a word on her lips.

In the fog of tension that loomed in so heavily it caused her to consciously regulate her own breathing, she seemed to miss the point in time when her thighs chose to edge wider, and knees bent on either side of him. Allowing him to cradle more snugly into her heating crevice.

His mouth rose and found the shell of her ear, tickling it lightly. He was fully aware of the subtle chain reaction he caused. She burned him when he ground willfully into her, throbbing harder when he felt her squirm.

"But I think you want me to. I think you like this..." He insisted, husky with want. The physical changes taking place in her made him groan in encouragement.

"You're already wet, aren't you?" Steam bathed her when his mouth shifted to hover so close to hers. Looking down at her in such a way she feared he really could read her mind. The thickening bulge throbbing between her legs pulled away, and a shaft of light returned to the dark cave hiding their faces as his hand moved down between them. He cupped her sex through the thin black material, fingers sliding curiously along the small swell of her lips. There it was. The evidence he was looking for, faint but damning. His hand pressed more firmly over her, rubbing in a gentle pattern to coax what he wanted from her. The damp cloth teased him, and he fought the impulse to bunch it into his grip and tug it off her hips.

"Look me in the eye and tell me you don't want me to fuck you." He challenged her with a cruel intensity in his eyes, while whispering sweetly. Candy laced with razors dripping from his sinful tongue.

She didn't try to fight him. There was no use in scrambling to hide the effect his touch had on her. He already knew everything. His fingers pressed and pawed individual strokes down to her core. The fabric caving around them as they dipped against her entrance, finding the source of her heat, and feeling it soak him. Her back arched slightly, and her thighs squeezed lightly against him when a reflex took control.

"I can't tell you that, Sasuke..." She whispered back in truth, teeth sinking into her own bottom lip as the sparks of pleasurable agony raked her raw inside. Begging her to stop fighting him, so she could feel more. Begging her to let him take what he wanted.

"But that's not the point." Her voice was frail, a hint of sadness, and yet coupled with a serene calm he didn't expect. He studied her with rapt attention, letting his hand drag from her quivering wet center and pet heavily up the slope of her abdomen and under her shirt. Joined by his other hand, they pulled the bottom of her shirt up with their movement until the white wraps concealing her breasts peeked into the air.

She didn't stop him then, either. She let his fingers explore her soft swells, breath shaking at the swipe of pressure that awakened a hidden bud to life. Gritty palms reached to cup his face, touching him as gently as he touched her, and for a moment, she merely watched him. The strange gesture slowed his movements absently, chest heaving under his kneading hands.

"If you don't get off of me, I'm going to hurt you." Bright blue burst against his cheeks, swallowing the hands and wrists that held him. The light was near blinding in its closeness, but it flowed over his skin like warm water. In no time at all, she could will the energy to become something menacing and turn it against him, but for now, it was deceptively relaxing.

So tired and drained, wrung hard and withered by the physical and emotional toll this battle put on her...but she had enough life left to show him she meant business, if it came down to it. This was the last thing she wanted to do, but she had to end this before it was too late.

"Do it." He murmured, holding her exhausted, regretful gaze. The command caught her breath in her throat.

A deep exhale that was as disbelieving as it was loud wheezed from her. The corners of her eyes wrinkled with the mask of pain that replaced the calm. She hesitated. It was too easy. He was caught between a pair of weapons he already knew could crush him in a second, if he gave her the opportunity...and yet he wouldn't move. He didn't even bother to activate his sharingan. It was like playing another game of chicken, and she was at her wits' end.

"I don't want to." The sadness contorted her features, pulling at her lips and denting her brows until she looked like she was going to cry.

"Please, Sasuke...I'm tired. I can't do this anymore."

"Then give in." He pushed quietly, meeting the corner of her mouth in a slow, poisonous kiss. Firm in his decision to keep her beneath him, and erode the last of her willpower. The warm glow humming close to them both faded away, captured by his hands and lifted above her head. They were smothered in his grip against the dirt, yet their light never waned. His fingers laced with hers boldly, as if to prove he was fearless of her, and the flickering chakra encased them both.

" _Please..._ We need to talk about this. It's wrong. All of this is wrong, and you know it. I meant nothing to you for so long, and I refuse to believe you suddenly have feelings for me now. You're not thinking clearly. " Fingers pressed into the back of his hands, clutching him as she pleaded. Reaching endlessly into the tumultuous anarchy of his mind for the last of his senses that she knew were lost within.

The body pinning her to the ground flexed rigidly, as if she'd hit him. Hands squeezed her tightly enough that she felt them begin to bruise and ache, causing her fingers to lose their grip. The blue glow burned brighter, but still did nothing.

"When did I tell you...you meant nothing..." The grating, rough voice sounded nothing like him. She froze in wonder. Unsure if she just made a terrible mistake, or was about to make progress.

A croon joined them from somewhere close by. Quiet in its warning, but it was out of place and clear enough in its presence that Sasuke lifted his head. Cold, angry eyes found a small black shape atop one of the piles of twisted logs in their ocean of mangled trees. A crow watched them, thin legs bouncing and flexing as it shuffled sideways along its enormous perch. It bent forward, wings rustling softly as it opened its mouth to caw loudly. Splitting the empty air with a haunting song.

The forest surrounding them hissed distantly. Breeze continuing to flutter the leaves and claim the weightless, pulverized mess of their arena. Beyond that, nothing but silence. He peered into the trees yards away from them, ignoring the confused and suspenseful look she was giving him. Waiting for him to say something that would clarify what he meant, and give her a sense of direction.

The crow's gnawing calls stopped abruptly, just as the empty space in front of him flickered in a blur of movement that came and went faster than he could react. The blood was gushing from a torn gash on his cheek long before his brain registered that he was spinning in space, far away from the girl he had once trapped in his embrace.

Shadows blurred around him, and he was struck again before he could crash to the ground. Another flicker of green and black that never stood still long enough to take shape pursued him. Something crushed into his gut, and smashed his other cheek in quick fury. The beating didn't let up until the open field spiraled into view. By the time he landed with a rough roll into the grass, gasping for air and battling through the pain that wracked him, his sharingan looked up to catch another flicker right in front of him.

He was about to lurch up and meet his attacker, a hand reaching for the hilt of the kusanagi, but he stopped himself. Another sharingan glared down at him, with short black hair rustling around his untouched face like the feathers of a crow. Sasuke let the final hit crush his nose and thrust him onto his back. Gasping for air and reeling from the speed in which the blows landed. One of the abilities Shisui was known for, which he envied a little. He could be everywhere at once, when if wanted to. Kill you with his bare hand, without even showing his face.

He laid there in quiet submission, not daring to raise his hand against his elder. His brother's best friend, who helped trained him for years. Shisui stood tall with his fists at his sides, jonin jacket over a long black shirt and pair of pants.

"When I told you to deal with her later, when there was no one else around, this is not what I meant." The older man's voice was far more calm and collected than his violent actions were, and he stared down at him in frigid, passionate disapproval.

The sprawled, broken body below was speechless. Sasuke's eyes faded to black, fresh blood streaking down his face from his nose and mouth. His shock was evident, but a thought struck him, narrowing his gaze as he met the glaring red towering above.

"Still spying on her? At least I stopped after she left the house the other night." His cool words baited him in anger. As foolish as he was bitter and feisty. Though he would never counterattack, not matter how many times he was hit, that wouldn't stop him from spitting venom.

Shisui's eyes narrowed. The grass crackled under his feet as he knelt over him, a hand shooting to his chest to twist into the stained shirt and pull him closer to his face. It was too similar to gazing into the quiet fury of his own mother, whenever he was dumb enough to piss her off...but if he told Shisui that, he really would be in a world of trouble.

Sakura collapsed at the edge of the forest, one hand bracing her against the side of tree. She stared out at the pair in the middle of the bright field, unable to believe her eyes. His face was turned away from her as he hovered over the limp form. Identity unknown. The short, wavy tresses were much too familiar for comfort, though. And that Uchiha crest of the back of his flak jacket...that couldn't be a coincidence.

Did she just get incredibly lucky? Or was she in trouble? Sasuke was no longer a threat to her now. She didn't need to hurt him to get her point across—if that would even work—but the sense of relief evaded her. She felt almost empty and lost. Bowing her head, she let her hand slip over her eyes in want for comfort. To escape this mess... To sneak back to Konoha and hide in a steaming bath all alone, with nothing but the sound of crickets and flicker of candlelight... To crawl into her bed and collapse into a sound sleep, and wake up the next day realizing all of this was a bad dream... What she wouldn't give for that.

"Shisui!" A voice shouted next to her, startling her. She clawed the tree in fear, snapping to her feet and thumping her back against it to stare at the man that had appeared out of thin air. Just like the other.

The hard lines of Itachi's face were aimed at the two far away from them. Hair pulled back enough that she could see the coal of his eyes, and the unhappy wrinkles under them. He wasn't wearing the uniform of the military police like his friend, but a short-sleeved, navy blue shirt, and dark gray pants.

Clenching fist stilling at the sound of his name, Shisui forced himself to lower the younger man back down to the ground. Shirt stretched and wrinkled as he relaxed his hand, the harsh look lingered on him while his palm flattened on his chest.

"I expected better from you." He stated simply, and then slowly rose off him and took a step away. His back remained turned from everyone, facing the untouched scenery glittering in the gold and orange shades of the setting sun.

With the tension visibly dissipating between them, Itachi spared a glance at the battered and spent girl standing next to him. Beholding him as if he was something to fear. Drying blood caked all over her mouth, ear, down her neck. Disappearing under the flap of her red collar.

"When did you get here...?" She breathed through an exasperated sigh. Held together loosely by the last, stubborn fibers of her sanity. She watched his eyes explore the damage, and watched them return, over and over again, to the blotches of blood staining her lips.

"Itachi... I—"

"Are you okay?" He interrupted her quietly, expression telling nothing of what he thought or felt. A little tired, a little sad, but other than that, he was an enigma.

"Yes..." The green eyes sparkled in front of him as a thin film of tears traced the rims of her eyelids. Whether out of pride, or guilt, or extreme fatigue, she wouldn't let them spill over. She merely looked down and away from him.

The pads of his fingers nudged her cheek, and when she looked up, he was pulling her into him. Wrapping her in a hug with his hands climbing up through her spoiled hair and cradling her. A sharp stinging made her wince when his lips planted on the throbbing welt expanding her forehead. Kissing her hard enough that she wondered if he wanted it to hurt a little.

"Stay here." His command was quiet in her ear as he nuzzled his cheek against hers, and then pulled away from her. She didn't want him to go. It felt good, but then it didn't. Bittersweet and agonizing, as if she feared it would be one of the last times he touched her. She leaned against the tree, too weak and overcome with doubt to want to get in his way as he drifted into the field at a listless pace. Stalking reluctantly toward the instrument of this disaster he inadvertently helped create.

Sasuke was sitting upright, ignoring Shisui's thoughtful, brooding stance behind him. His face was utterly devoid of the spite that dominated him earlier. It was swiftly, brutally smacked back into the deepest recesses of his mind with a surety Shisui would never have been able to deliver with his iron blows or scolding words. Exterminated by the brief, yet pure display of affection his brother just revealed in front of him. Like it was the most alien thing in the world he could have witnessed.

Despite everything that just happened, it wasn't until that singular moment, that he realized he fucked up.


	12. Digging Through Wounds

The best way he could describe it was like getting viciously smashed upside the head, and waking up in a foreign world, with a complete stranger before him. Nothing was familiar. Everything was blanketed in a depressing fog that shrouded the details of his environment. Blurring the edges and masking the colors into distorted shapes that were of no value in their current state. This stranger was recognizable to him, but only in ways he didn't like. Ways that made him feel sad, angry, disappointed, shameful...and very confused.

The things he recognized reminded him too much of himself. Darker traits he fought to keep locked away, to protect the rest of the world from, which Sakura had regrettably experienced firsthand. They were things that were never meant to exist. Not inside  _him_ , his own younger brother. He knew him as different person, not whoever this cruel, selfish person was in front of him now.

The sadness was the worst. It trickled in from every direction, steadily flooding higher and higher and promising to drown him in an inky, lonely abyss. Dissolving the sharp bite of the rest of the emotions so effectively, he longed for them to come back.

With the sun setting lower in the sky, fading into the untouched treetops at the end of the field behind him, it haloed the young man in front of him in a golden light. Dimming his upturned face in shadows as they looked at one another. Wiry blades of swaying grass churned around him in an endless dance. Framing him in the most peaceful, unfitting scenery. He was filthy and suffering from multiple injuries...and it perfectly matched his outer appearance.

He stood a few feet away, hands limp at his sides. Nothing about his posture or expression was threatening. Nothing of what he felt visible on his face. The only sign that something was wrong came from the slow intake of breath, pause, and slow sighing exhale. As if the simple task of breathing took too much effort.

The older Uchiha's calm gaze lifted from his to the shrinking sun above, and watched it's last rays melt into the forest.

Sasuke couldn't look away from him. The silence was quickly becoming insufferable, and not quite what he expected to be faced with. That by itself would have been a worthy punishment. It spoke so much louder than any words that could be thrown at him. Very few times did he mess up badly enough to earn a silence like that. In most cases, he got one of those annoying jabs to the forehead and an agitated lecture from him. Right now, he was missing it sorely.

But none of that could have possibly touched him if he wasn't able to feel the guilt. Guilt, and a little bit of fear. He was so unaccustomed to feeling those things that he didn't realize how painful they could be. Like the talons of a hawk sinking around his heart, piercing into him and making each beat labored and tiresome, until his chest ached.

"Itachi?" He asked with a swallow that tasted strongly of blood. It never bothered him before, but now it was extra thick and disgustingly metallic, though how he could taste anything with a nose so battered was amazing.

There was no answer.

Eventually, the lean statue cast in the dim rays of orange returned to life and eased down to the ground. Reclining back on his palms with his his legs stretched out between them, head cocking lazily to the side. Even then, he didn't look at him. He stared in thought at something in the grass, or rather through the grass, as his eyes lost focus and his lids fell heavy.

The words shuddered through Itachi's mind like a flock of starlings. Busy and erratic, he couldn't grasp onto any one of them, and there were far too many. The silence could not last, though. Silence was the loom that wove this fabric of madness, and it was time to set it ablaze. He was aware enough now to see his mistake...but it was only one of many that would rear their ugly faces in time. Too many assumptions were made, perhaps, and by more than one of them. He should have paid closer attention to Shisui's warning the other night.

"Shisui, will you give us a minute?" He asked his friend politely. Without a word, the other man turned and walked away, as if he was waiting for permission. Heading for the figure slumped against a tree that watched them all diligently, while holding her breath in anticipation. Something told him this was going to be longer than a 'a minute', but it didn't matter. He would remain until the end, if only to make sure no more fights erupted between the three of them. A bit hypocritical, since he still felt the intense urge to knock some sense into that brat. Maybe it was different because it wasn't his own brother, but Shisui had very little tolerance for the kind of behavior he just witnessed. The only reason he didn't emerge from the shadows and intervene sooner than he did, was because Itachi made him wait.

"You take after me more than I thought you did." He began, a deep murmur in the air. It's full meaning would be lost to those ears, no matter how carefully they listened. Sasuke might never figure out what he meant by that, but Itachi wasn't sure if he ever wanted him to know, so he didn't elaborate just yet.

"But I need you to help me understand..." He spoke carefully, examining each word like he was trying to put together a puzzle in his mind, piece by tiny piece, without even knowing what picture it was going to create in the end. "Where did this come from?"

The disheveled teen's mouth opened, but when Itachi looked up into his eyes finally, he found he had no idea what he meant to say. His mind was a mess, perhaps more so than his older brother's. More than even Sakura's. The biggest mistake he made was acting without processing anything on a rational level, which was very unlike him. All the things he felt, and kept submerged for years, found the outlet they were craving once the initial shock of catching Sakura and Itachi together wore off. They took control, and warped him into something precarious and untamed. The consequence for trying to live up to a role he believed for so long was expected of him. Sakura was the catalyst, but his explosion was fueled by far more than just her.

"She—"

"No." Itachi cut him off, soft but swift. "Sakura has nothing to do with this. Right now, we are talking about you."

"Sakura has everything to do with this." He retorted, an unsettled edge to his voice.

"She is not responsible for your actions, and that is what we're going to talk about." Itachi countered with a cool surety, holding his gaze similar to the way their father did when one of them was targeted for something they'd done wrong. Sternly and confidently, but Itachi's dark eyes held a gloom of sorrow in them that softened the look.

The bruised and blood-streaked jaw clenched in a return of frustration. He persisted, failing in his ignorance to see how the two could be separated. "That's impossible. My actions revolve around her."

"Really?" Itachi asked with a slow, disbelieving blink. With his tone, it sounded more like a condescending,  _enlighten me_. If he was going to be so blind, then he would humor his brother for now, but it would not last forever.

Sasuke opened his mouth in a sneering protest, but for a second time, nothing came out. Brows pinched in what he felt was exasperation. Desperate to give justification to the things he'd just said and done to his teammate, but his throat closed up. Strangled by the weighted gaze that waited patiently for him to explain himself. Then, slowly, his head tilted downward as the crush of defeat molded over him. A fierce glare narrowing at the ground between them that was as bitter and wounded as it was lost. He didn't know how to argue, despite how much he wanted to.

"Do you have feelings for her?" Itachi's next question came gently, almost hesitantly. Like he didn't want to ask it, and yet it was sewn with a promise that he  _would_ get an answer, whether his little brother wanted to give him one or not. This was one thing that could not be ignored. It was too vital.

"She lied..." Sasuke managed through gritting teeth, eyes sinking shut while a disturbed line continued to wrinkle his brow. "She told me for years she loved me, but it was a lie. You don't lie about something like that." The pain was evident in his voice, but Itachi couldn't tell if it was the realization that was painful, or the fact that he was having to admit her 'lie' affected him in the first place.

"Why do you think she was lying?"

"She wouldn't have slept with you if she loved me."

"You think that because she slept with me, she stopped loving you..." Itachi reiterated pensively, his gaze narrowing. Sasuke paused and opened his eyes to peek up at him, as if he didn't understand. How could those two things be unrelated? Clearly if you were in love with someone, you wouldn't be interested in having sex with someone else...especially their  _brother_.

"Obviously. Why would she sleep with you if she loved me?" He snorted hotly, so sure of himself.

Itachi nodded slowly, considering his question. Then he lifted his head and trained his gaze on the sky thoughtfully. A blank slate of nothing but colors that seemed to help him organize the bits of information he was inferring from the younger man. Getting the first sliver of a view inside his brain.

"How many times did she tell you she loved you?"

"I don't know...too many to count. She's been saying it for years." Sasuke answered, watching him suspiciously. He knew he was being set up for something.

"How many times did you give her the impression that love would ever be returned?"

He looked dumbstruck for a moment, and then fired angrily, "That's not the point!"

"It is the point. If you have never reciprocated, it changes everything. Love doesn't die overnight, Sasuke...but maybe she's grown up enough to realize she needs to move on." Though he was still careful with his words, analyzing them in a tedious filter before they left his mouth, they were much easier to find now. The depressing fog of this environment hadn't lifted, but he felt he could see through it with more clarity than before.

Sasuke stared at him, the buzz of his cluttered and cynical mind fading as a bit of truth sank into him like a sharp thorn. Putting something into focus suddenly that he didn't want to acknowledge, and yet couldn't look away from. It revealed a flaw in his rationale he had been too stubborn to face on his own.

"What do you think happens to the wife of a shinobi who never comes home from a mission?" Itachi left the shifting colors of the sky to look down at him. "She moves on, if she wants. She finds someone new to love. Is it because she stopped loving her husband? No... It's because she has no choice. She can't change the fact that he's gone. She can't bring him back from the dead. She can let the sadness and the emptiness consume her and define everything she does, or she can choose to continue living her life."

Sasuke said nothing, only looking at him in vague skepticism and wonder. The logic shredded the start of every impulsive defense that came to him, stealing any rebuttal before it could manifest.

"Moving on from a one-sided affection isn't so different from letting go of the deceased. The only difference is she still has to see you regularly, and that probably makes it much harder, which is why she hasn't been able to do it until now. But...Sakura can still love you while choosing to let you go."

An arm rose absently to wipe the congealing blood from his mouth and upper lip, but when it touched, he froze instead. He looked away, staring once more at the ground with part of his face hidden from view, hair falling around his eyes. There was so much internal resistance thrashing and clawing inside of him, wanting to poke holes in everything his older brother was saying, but it couldn't... He was actually starting to make sense, and it was infuriating. He didn't want to be wrong. He didn't want to be the bad guy, but that's what he was now, wasn't he? Every sentence he endured was so casual, without a hint of spite, and as a twisted consequence it was difficult for him to hear.

He could argue with Sakura. It was easy to stir up trouble with her, because she almost always reacted. Their emotions fed off one another in a deadly synergy, once he lost control of himself. With Itachi, it was like trying to ignite water.

"Then why didn't she explain that?" He murmured after a moment of silence. The wind was cooling around them as the shades of gold and orange were replaced by turquoise and deeper blue. Withdrawing their reflective highlights, and abandoning the two Uchihas in a dusky light.

"I think she would have, if you had given her the chance..."

Sasuke considered him quietly, and then dropped his arm from his mouth as he sighed in annoyance. Realizing now that Itachi had been there longer than he initially thought. He was afraid to ask just how much he witnessed. The truths he was instilling into him stung enough on their own, without the added shame.

Itachi watched him, waiting for him to reveal more of what he thought and felt, but nothing would come easily. Every hook he landed had its affect, and yet Sasuke kept pulling further away. Letting them dug deeper and spill more blood with every retreating, stubborn jerk. Revisiting the mistakes he already made over and over again in shutting down and hiding himself.

Itachi exhaled loudly as he slumped forward, moving from his sprawled position into a cross-legged one with his elbows resting on his knees. Finally, he too looked down at the ground between them.

"I don't know how you feel about her. No one knows that but you. But I do know that when you really care about someone...you don't treat them the way that you treated her just now. The way you treated her was inhuman. Like she was a toy...or a slave that disobeyed you... We both know she is neither of those things."

The young man listened to him, motionless. Hard eyes glaring at nothing.

"But...people make mistakes all the time, especially when emotions get in the way. They can mess a lot of things up. Leave you with regrets you never wanted to bear." He grew softer, a hint of grief betraying. The dark lines on his face seemed longer and more noticeable, the crease in his eyes carrying an invisible burden. "I know you feel something. You wouldn't have acted this way if you didn't."

The question still hung in the air, unanswered. He wasn't going to let it go. It didn't matter what the answer was, he just needed to know what he felt. His next move would be influenced by it.

"...Whatever. It doesn't matter." It was intended to sound decisive and put an end to the conversation, but it was frail, reeking of disappointment and crumbling resolve. Nevertheless, Sasuke winced as he struggled to his feet. Determined to escape this tornado of emotions and the headache it brought, and hobble off into brooding solitude. He would need to make a stop at the hospital first. It was a long ways away, but he was sure more than one bone was broken...and he would sooner break another bone himself than ask Sakura to heal him.

"It does matter, Sasuke." Itachi watched him rise with an irritated twitch in his eye.

A dry, contemptuous laugh responded, but Sasuke otherwise ignored him. Moving sluggishly past him and toward the direction of their village while a silent Shisui and Sakura observed in the distance.

His older brother was on his feet and clutching his arm before he heard the rustle of movement. He paused mid-stride, jaw clenching while the steadfast grip kept him in place. This was draining on them all, but it couldn't end like this. There was no closure, and Itachi was determined to find some before the stars could wake from their slumber above their heads. Perhaps something this complicated needed more than an hour to be resolved, but something was better than nothing, and right now, there was a whole lot of nothing going on between them.

"Stop trying to avoid the subject. This is a big deal." Itachi insisted, refusing to let him go.

"YOU DIED!" The abrupt shout was loud enough to echo across the field. A flock of birds that had just returned to their roost, previously disturbed by the chaos of their battle, erupted from a treetop to flutter hurriedly into the horizon. He violently ripped his arm out of his grasp as he spun to face him. Expression wrinkled in a furious snarl.

The reaction stunned him. Hand hovering uselessly in the air as he took a step back to regain his footing. Itachi stared at him with wide eyes, speechless.

"You want to talk about avoiding a big deal?! Let's talk about that!" There was animosity in his indictment. Like his death had been a crime he needed to answer for. A voice clenching in rage and pain as he snapped under the pressure they exerted within him.

"Let's talk about how your last mission killed you, and the only reason you're standing here right now is because  _she_  performed some fucking miracle that no one seems to be able to explain! Let's talk about how even after she brought you back from the dead, you were in a fucking coma for days, and no one could tell me if you would wake up again! Let's talk about how after all of that, you haven't said one fucking word about any of it! Like it doesn't fucking matter! Like nothing happened! Not the mention the fact that you also kept  _her_  a secret!"

"I can't talk about anything involving my missions..." Itachi whispered, trying to fight through the daze. Concentration smashed to dust under the weapon of his voice. The tortured resentment blasting at him was near tangible, and he felt something cold and stony drop inside him.

"When did I say anything about ANBU?! I'm talking about you! You tell me not to avoid this bullshit, but it's all  _you_  fucking do! You  _died_ , Itachi! Does that mean nothing to you?!" His teeth clenched the last two sentences, a visible cringe twisting his face as if it hurt him to speak.

It was his turn to gape wordlessly. Standing there dumbfounded like this was the last thing he expected to hear. He was not in the least prepared for this outburst.

When his brother turned to step away from him, fuming with defiance and resentment, Itachi reached for him. "Sasuke..."

"Fuck you!" Two hands shoved roughly into his chest, rejecting him forcefully. Angry at so many things, including himself...and including his inability to wipe the distressed look off his beaten face.

That harsh bite of words he'd never heard him say before, coupled with the physical blow he was dealt, hurt him deeply, but his didn't let it stop him. His hesitation waned and focus returned in a flash. Hand snagging into the dirty gray shirt, he restored his balance and yanked Sasuke into him with one hard jerk. Wrapping his arms around him in an unyielding, tight hug.

The brief shock that paralyzed him was quickly overruled with an intense struggle to escape the embrace. Cursing and shouting at him to let go. Itachi's refusal was quiet and resolute. His fingers spread over his back, chin resting over his shorter shoulder. Even when they were both healed and rested, Itachi was stronger and faster than him, so in his current state, it wasn't much of a challenge to keep him caged.

It only took a few seconds for him to calm down, but they were some of the longest seconds of his life. When he did, Sasuke gradually let his weight lean against him. Slumping in defeat. The hands that had been clawing to push him away, gripped into the back of his dark blue shirt, stilled. His face hidden in the top of his chest. A sustained silence fell between them, just long enough for everything to finally sink in to them both.

Sasuke felt his own ribs squeeze inward under an invisible force, crushing around his lungs. His heart skipped a beat, and thumped unevenly for a few seconds. Body reacting as if the simple, yet powerful gesture of affection damn near killed him.

Itachi could feel the spot on his chest grow a little hotter as a blotch of tears seeped unseen into his shirt. A somber look cast over his shoulder to the ground. Sasuke didn't make a sound, or try to move again.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke." He murmured, feeling the ribs under his encircling arms shudder without rhythm. It broke his heart and made him feel like he aged ten years all within a matter of seconds. So... He messed up in more ways than he thought he did.

"I didn't know it affected you that much." Sinking into a whisper, he felt the hands squeezing his shirt only tighten. Knuckles blanching. He let the silence return, unsure of how to navigate this turn of events. At first glance, it might seem like they'd fallen off track...but maybe this had been part of the track all along, and he just couldn't see it until it was spelled out for him.

Still... That did not condone his actions today.

Sasuke couldn't have spoken if he wanted to. Everything inside of him contracted until he cramped and ached. Most of his effort fixed on breathing steadily while his eyes squeezed shut and his jaw tensed. He didn't like this at all. He felt weak, and he couldn't stand it. He wasn't supposed to be weak. It was unforgivable.

A rush of cool air sucked between him when Itachi gently pulled away. The wind brushed the black hair in front his eyes, wet and mildly bloodshot. Sasuke let his fingers slip away and fall to his sides, but he was looking down. Staring into space with a heaviness that looked like he was ready to pass out. All the anger had been extinguished. A little surprising, considering how vividly it burned moments ago. For a fleeting moment, Itachi thought he might even attack him. If Sasuke had felt nothing but anger, he probably would have...but the anger was always battling against a siege of other emotions, and it wore him down. He couldn't deal with it anymore.

"I screwed up. More than you know. Probably more than I know..." He listened to the voice that reached him distantly, staring into the blue chest in front of him and letting it blur as his eyes lost focus through the distorting glimmer of tears pooling in the way. "But that doesn't excuse anything you've done."

Sasuke swallowed. A reluctant nod agreed with him, as if he was finally willing to admit he realized his own mistakes. Itachi sighed quietly, a hand resting on his brother's shoulder.

"She didn't earn a reaction like this. You took things too far. If you want to blow up on me, then that's fine. I can take it. But don't do this to her..."

Fingers squeezed his shoulder lightly when he said nothing, and Sasuke forced himself to look up.

"She is the last person that deserves the kind of punishment you just dealt."

He reflected a moment, and then he nodded again.

"You need to apologize to her, and you need to mean it. I don't expect it to happen today...but soon."

"Yeah... Alright." He muttered finally, then cleared his throat.

Itachi watched him intently. Wishing he had done so many things differently. Aware suddenly of just how much he was failing him as an older brother. Nobody was perfect, and he wasn't so arrogant to think that he was...but it was horrifying to realize how many ominous signs he overlooked. Maybe a lot of things happened that he wasn't aware of, but he should have been paying closer attention to him. It might have steered them all away from this disaster.

"How do you feel about her?" He asked one last time, and watched a twitch of irritation flit over his face, before Sasuke sighed in surrender.

"I don't know... But it doesn't matter."

"Why?"

"Like you said, she's moving on. She's obviously interested in you now." He sounded a little bitter, glancing away to find her sitting obediently by that tree. The vulgar welt on her forehead was gone, from what he could see. Healed by her own hands, along with the rest of her injuries, as best she could. Must be nice to be a medic. Then, he looked down in thought.

"What about you?" Sasuke returned the question tentatively. Unsure if he wanted to know the answer. The thought of him caring about a girl was strange. He never brought one home—not while their parents were around, anyway. If he ever had a serious girlfriend, then he mastered the art of secrecy like it was his job. From what he witnessed when he caught them in bed, he did have some experience, though. Their tryst was as lewd and steamy as a scene in one of Jiraiya's Icha Icha books. Not that Sasuke would know. He doesn't read those things. Okay, maybe sometimes...but whatever.

"I haven't known her for very long." Itachi sighed, letting his hand fall from his shoulder. "You might think I've kept it a secret from you, but the truth is, there wasn't much to talk about until now. We needed to...figure some things out first."

Sasuke listened carefully, but kept his gaze down.

"I don't know what's going to happen, but I care about her."

This was going to take some time to digest, but he didn't react to his admission. Sooner or later, he knew it would happen. Their parents had bugged him enough about finding a girl over the past couple years that he was surprised Itachi didn't just pick one at random to shut them up for a while. He just didn't expect it to be...Sakura.

The sounds of nocturnal insects buzzed and chirped around them. Awakened by the dimming light and chilling air. The change in atmosphere was soothing, but it was going to be a while before any true comfort could touch him. Itachi must have seen the slight change on his face, even as he looked away. A flicker of despondence and guilt. He tilted his head lower and shifted into his view, causing him to look up curiously. A hand smoothed over the back of Sasuke's neck, holding his attention in the process as they locked eyes.

"I love you, Sasuke. That's never going to change..." His older brother's eyes were still darkened by a sadness he couldn't shake, yet he was studying him with a sense of purpose. Sasuke watched him in awe.

"I don't want to believe that you would ever try to hurt her." The corner of Itachi's eyes wrinkled as the recent image of them haunted him, struggling in a cloud of dust on the ground. He knew what was happening, but he didn't want to accept it at the time. He wanted to wait for it to end, and confirm his belief that his brother was above something so violent and wrong. Fortunately, Shisui decided to take action in his place. "But if you ever do hurt her...we are going to have a serious problem. Do you understand?"

Sasuke's eyes flit back and forth between his, somehow knowing exactly what was going through his head. It was impossible for him to deny it. If Shisui hadn't knocked him through the air with a vengeance, there was a good chance he wouldn't have moved from his spot. Their lack of interference could have drastically changed how things ended. He was able to reflect on that moment a little bit now, with a clearer head, and what he saw was too damning and disgraceful for him to endure without cringing.

"...Yeah... I know." He murmured, overwhelmed by the urge to turn away again. Looking him in the eye for too long was incredibly uncomfortable, especially now.

The back of his neck was freed, and the tiniest sense of relief eased the tension around his heart. But as he began his journey a second time, two fingers landed a sharp thump on his forehead and startled him. Causing him to snap his eyes shut in a flinch.

"Ow..." He grunted, reopening them to glance warily at his brother while the spot above his eyes throbbed lightly.

"I'll see you at home." Itachi smirked faintly.

Sasuke snorted through his nose, turned away, then paused again.

"How did you meet her, anyway?"

"She came over one day, looking for you." He answered a little hesitantly. There was no point in lying. That would only cause more problems. The look on his face suggested there was something about that day that bothered him, though.

Sasuke considered him for a moment, sensing the slight change, but he didn't pry. "Hn... Guess she found someone better, then." His conclusion was quiet and genuine, free of sarcasm. Then he finished turning and walked slowly across the field. Purposely avoiding Sakura and Shisui as he took a different route through the maze of trees.

Itachi was left staring into the shapes of the forest, colors draining into shadows as the night crept in around them. The insects hummed in a louder chorus, filling the silence he couldn't break, as he reflected on those final words. They were meant as a compliment...and yet he felt hollow and undeserving.

He heard the grass hissing close to him, a tired breath beating at his side as he lost himself within his own doubting thoughts. Too many of them to sort through, and not enough time.

"Itachi?" A soft voice called him. Infecting him with a conflicting stab of pain and consoling warmth. He looked down, and found the large green eyes quivering up at him captivating. Entrapping him enough to quell some of the destructive thoughts wallowing around in the back of his mind that questioned so many things he had done, and failed to do.

As always, Sakura was like an open book. Gazing up at him with the most crystal-clear windows to any soul he'd ever seen. A hundred unspoken questions orbited inside her head, begging to be free, yet denied by the overpowering fear of asking any of them. He read every single one of them.

_Are you okay? Is Sasuke okay? Am I in trouble? Are you leaving me? I mean, I know you can't leave me if you aren't even—oh for fuck's sake, just tell me! Did I do something wrong? How long were you watching? You don't think I'm a slut too, do you?! Is it okay to touch you? Why are you looking at me like that?!_

She started mutely, shoulders slightly hunched and hands clenching into nervous fists in front of her. Wanting to hug him, but lacking the confidence, and yet unable to calmly return them to her sides.

He blinked in mild surprise down at her, and then lost control of a chuckle that was both amused and emotionally drained. Her brow wrinkled in confusion, surveying him with rapt attention. One wrong word or move, and she might very well shatter to pieces...and he was laughing!

She watched his eyes roam over her face, noting the absence of wounds, and the faint smears of leftover blood and filth she had tried to wipe off. Hard to do that when the rest of her skin and uniform were covered in the same aftermath of her fight with Sasuke, though.

"Come on... Let's go for a walk." He answered finally, and her lips parted curiously as he slipped past her. Then she felt a tug, and looked down in shock to see his fingers lacing through her's and pulling her along with him. He lead her back in the direction she came, straight toward Shisui, who was leaning with his back to a tree, arms folded over his chest with his head bowed low.


	13. Forgiveness

Very little of the brothers' exchange could be heard from the treeline. Most of their conversation was spoken at a low volume. The only thing they caught wind of was the startling shout that sent birds fleeing and echoes resounding around them, when Sasuke lost his cool. Needless to say, Sakura and Shisui were largely oblivious to what happened, but there was a palpable sense of melancholy blanketing the three of them now. The details were lost, but the conclusion was a sullen one, even with that hug thrown in at the end.

 

It was better than fighting, though. Even if she didn't agree with Sasuke's actions, the last thing she wanted was to watch them turn against each other. So that was a relief.

 

The warm fingers laced through hers lead her onward to an unknown destination, with an unknown purpose. Being left in the dark was never comfortable. There was no way to prepare herself for what came next if she didn't know what transpired between them, or how Itachi internalized whatever he had witnessed. The only thing she could do while she waited eagerly was try to decipher what was going through Sasuke's head, based on his reactions. Itachi's face had been turned away from her most of the time, so it was pointless trying to figure him out.

 

When he yelled...that was scary, and sad, and kind of shocking. It made her reassess what she believed she knew about them. Based on the way Sasuke always spoke of his older brother, she assumed for years that they were really close. She thought they must share everything together. Know more about each other than the rest of the world ever would. What she just witnessed blew her assumptions right out of the water, though. It seemed she wasn't the only one trying to cross a divide separating her from her unstable teammate.

 

Beyond that, she didn't even know what she thought of Sasuke anymore. After everything he said and did to her today, her mind couldn't begin to process the shitstorm he left her to deal with so unsympathetically. He didn't even look at her once before he was swallowed by the trees. Like she didn't exist. Like everything had been resolved. Newsflash, it hadn't. The only reason she wasn't having a nervous breakdown right now was because Itachi was in front of her. She didn't have any time yet to let everything sink in, and she was too on edge about what was going to be said next.

 

But that didn't mean the events weren't weaving their affect within her. She was trapped in her own state of pandemonium that could very well dismantle her composure if things went any further south. As terrified as she was of what Itachi might say to her now, the crumb of hopefulness she was clinging to with a death grip was keeping her afloat, if just barely. He was holding her hand. That had to mean _something_ good, right? On any other day, it would have an even greater impact on her. This was the first time she ever held a guy's hand before. Hand-holding was for reserved for couples. But she was too distracted by more important things to pay the gesture the full attention it was due.

 

Shisui glanced up when they neared, casting a solemn look on his best friend. He and Sakura hadn't spoken a word while they waited on the sidelines, too busy watching the two hash it out in the field. Trying, and failing, to hear what was going on. The only thing that eased the silence was the occasional murmur of the lone crow that had perched itself on a branch above their heads. She was grateful to have him next to her, though. So little time had they spent together since she met him, and yet he was proving his trustworthiness faster than most of her friends growing up ever did. She better understood why Itachi was so close to him now. Who wouldn't value a friend like him?

 

“He's your brother, so from now on, I'll leave this to you.” Sharingan met black, and it was only then Sakura realized he never deactivated it. As if he anticipated intervening a second time. Or maybe it was always activated when he was working, she didn't know. Itachi gave a single nod, and she watched them stare at one another for a second. A mutual understanding of something passing between them that she couldn't define.

 

“I have to get back to work.” Shisui shifted, preparing to leave them now that the threat was over. Knowing they would want to speak without an audience. It wasn't his place to know their business, or even Sasuke's business. The only reason he stayed as long as he did was to help keep the peace, and ensure everything ended safely. Mostly for Sakura's sake. Itachi could handle Sasuke no problem, but the three of them together made for a precarious situation. If he had to be honest, Shisui was surprised his best friend reacted as calmly as he did to what they witnessed, but he would keep that to himself for now.

 

“Shisui!” Sakura took a step forward, and he paused to look at her, a glimmer of stern red in the darkness.

 

“Thank you for...you know...helping me out.” She gave him a demure smile. It was hard not to feel a little uncomfortable, knowing the compromised physical position she'd been in at the time, even if she was the victim of circumstance. That wasn't going to stop her from letting him know she recognized and appreciated his intervention, though.

 

To her slight surprise, she didn't get the reserved and polite response she expected from him. Instead, his brow crinkled and jaw flexed lightly as he looked away from her. Fixing an unnerving, if not harsh stare into the trees.

 

“Why did you let him get away with so much?” It wasn't a snap, but his voice was different to what she normally heard from him. Not as gentle and lighthearted. He resonated with an aura she would expect from someone in the military police. It would make sense, given his position, but it still wasn't how she knew him.

 

Dry, cracked lips parted as she stared at him, worry creasing its lines across her face as she fumbled within herself. Itachi said nothing.

 

“You were too nice to him, Sakura. You let him go too far.” His eyes narrowed a pinch, a sigh puffing through his nose. He was angry at Sasuke, disappointed with her, and aggravated he had to ditch his job and chase them down...though honestly, it was kind of in his job description in the first place, wasn't it? Still, this fiasco could have easily been prevented, in his opinion. There were matters much more dire than this one that warranted an investigation, at the moment.

 

Her mouth parted wider, eager to defend her actions, and lack thereof, except nothing came out. The initial opposition rapidly lost steam, and her shoulders slumped. Troubled gaze falling to the ground as she wondered herself why she didn't try harder to slap some sense into Sasuke. It was something she recognized even now, despite having no time to reflect, but the answer was a complicated one. Something told her Shisui wouldn't accept any excuse if she took the time to try to explain herself, anyway.

 

“Shisui... You can't blame her for what he did.” Itachi cut in softly.

 

“I'm not—“ Shisui closed his eyes for a second, and took a deep breath. Then he turned, and she looked up to find his red eyes scrutinizing her. “Sakura, I'm not blaming you for anything he did. I wouldn't do that. You have no control over his actions. But you held back. You were capable of doing more than you did. You can't let someone take advantage of you just because you care about them.”

 

She swallowed and glanced away, a hint of pain trickling over her face. He was right. She wouldn't begin to argue with him, but he made it sound so simple. Why couldn't it feel that simple to her? Even now, when she knew she didn't want him—especially after today—Sasuke was still a weakness. She was aware of that flaw, but knowing how to fix it was a different story. This problem seemed so black and white to Shisui, but not to her.

 

“You can't be afraid to hurt someone who isn't afraid of hurting you.” He emphasized on a quieter note. When she looked at him again, she saw his frustration cave a little, replaced by concern.

 

“She hit him with a tree.” Itachi murmured, a little in awe as he recalled the scene in his head.

 

“Yeah... That was a big tree.” Shisui agreed with another sigh.

 

“And maybe a rock.” Itachi peered down the long path of pummeled and charred earth that disappeared into the shadows of the forest, the trail that massive boulder left behind. It rolled too far for them to see it now, in the fading light. Shisui turned around to follow his gaze into the tunnel of jagged and filthy carnage, and they pondered quietly for a moment.

 

“He dodged that one, I think.” Sakura added, lacking any sense of pride as she glanced between their turned heads. At least she now had an idea of when they arrived. Some time between dislodging that rock and slamming a tree into him. That was a little helpful, but the thought of them seeing even that much made her cringe.

 

The fingers lacing hers squeezed mildly, just enough to get her attention, though Itachi didn't look her way. The small token of affection eased a little of the tension that was coiling her taut.

 

“If I see him doing something like that again, he's getting more than a few punches. I'm taking him to the station.”

 

She was looking down at their joined hands when she heard Shisui's promise. Distracted by how clean Itachi's looked compared to her's. Thinking about how much she was going to scrub when she got home. Thinking...about anything other than Sasuke, if she could help it. Escape wouldn't come readily for her, though. She was stuck in the thick of this mess whether she liked it or not. In fact, it revolved around her. If only she could just stop for a few minutes and clear her mind.

 

Itachi bowed his head slightly in thought, hair slanting forward around his face. “I would expect as much.” His voice was still so quiet, like he was the one being reprimanded. Knowing that wasn't the case, it was strange to hear him like that. Not that he ever raised his voice in front of her, but it wasn't just the volume that made her reconsider him. It expressed a mournful and weary quality.

 

“Alright... I'll see you tomorrow.” Shisui nodded to Itachi, and then looked back at her, “Goodnight, Sakura.”

 

His body flickered briefly before disappearing from sight, as if he teleported, or had been a mere illusion all along. Sakura stared at the empty space in front of her curiously. Surprised at just how fast he moved. If he even moved...? She wasn't sure what he did, but it was just as unsettling as it was cool. Above her, the crow made a deep, grunt-like sound, and she looked up. It snapped repeatedly, crunching audibly as the twitching legs of a black spider vanished into its beak. She wrinkled her nose, sidestepping to avoid a falling leg that broke free and rained to the ground. The bird crouched and sprang from the branch, broad wings carrying it through the trees to follow the Uchiha toward the village.

 

Without a word, Itachi started walking. Leading her deeper into the darkening forest to start their journey towards civilization. She returned to staring at their joined hands, steadily fusing into an indistinguishable blur of flesh in the shadows, as they traced the length of the destruction until the canopy reemerged over them. It was hard to focus. Just like him, when he stared down Sasuke on the field, she didn't know where to begin. Being so tired made it even harder, as her energy was sapped from so many different directions. The idea of collapsing down into the moss and scattered leaves and taking a nap was frightfully inviting. In her current state, it's not like she would have to worry about getting any dirtier.

 

“How did you know to look for me?” She asked him quietly, faintly amazed that none of the antsy, nervous behavior she was so used to getting caught up in was affecting her right now. In a way, it kind of felt like she was the one who'd been hit by that tree. Now that the adrenaline rush was over, she was too shocked to know how to react. There were so many things she was worried about a few minutes ago. So many things she wanted to say, and to question, but the words were stubbornly slipping through her grasp like water, every time she tried to latch on.

 

“I didn't. Shisui did.” He admitted, keeping their leisurely pace through ancient pillars.

 

She looked up at him, but he answered her next question before she could ask.

 

“He's been watching over you. He knew something like this would happen.”

 

“Oh... But how?”

 

“You would have to talk to him about that.” Itachi didn't enjoy lying, even if it did it sometimes, so it was easier to defer her to his friend than tell the truth himself. If Shisui wanted her to know that he helped Sasuke spy on them when they were behaving like animals in his room, then he would have to be the one to tell her. Unless either of them were going to insist on turning it into a bigger issue, he was prepared to let that little secret stay hidden for a while, if not forever. Sakura didn't need to know all the details. She'd been through enough already.

 

Painting his friend in a bad light was the last thing he wanted to do, anyway. He didn't believe Shisui's goal was to be a pervert, but it would be hard to defend his innocence in a situation like that.

 

“He's a good friend.” She said with a dim smile, deciding not to pursue the subject for one reason or another.

 

“Yes, he is.” He agreed, yet still so somber. Sakura watched him with careful interest in the subdued light, but there wasn't much she could see on his face.

 

“Itachi?”

 

“Hm...”

 

“Why did you guys wait so long to stop us?” She asked hesitantly, afraid of his answer as much as she craved to hear it.

 

A pause followed as he considered her question. He knew why. That's wasn't the issue. It was phrasing his response in such a way that was truthful, yet easy to stomach for the both of them.

 

“I wanted to see how you two interacted without my interference.” A deep voice began thoughtfully. “I also didn't...” He paused again, the corner of his eye twitching in a brief wince. “I didn't want to believe he would follow through on his intention. I wanted him to prove that he was better than that. I wanted to trust him. Shisui didn't.” He swallowed, avoiding an in depth explanation. Giving her just enough so she could fill in the blanks on her own.

 

She didn't know how to answer yet, and so she let her mind wander through the evening's sea of chaotic memories. Combing them in quiet circumspect to try to see the situation from his point of view.

 

Silence accompanied them until the last of the trees crept into view. The blinking lights of the Uchiha village dotted between the thick trunks as tiny, flickering lanterns and brighter street lamps. A strange mix of old-world tradition and modern technology. The crunch of leaves dulled as the tall grass returned, and the breeze felt drier in the open air. Ahead of them, a child shrieked as it ran around one of the houses, chased by another sprouting a geyser of fire. Their laughter carried as they sprinted in circles, until a woman's voice called for them to come inside for dinner.

 

Itachi was watching them play, lost in another world where memories conveyed simpler times, when he felt her hand tug him suddenly. Reeling him back into reality. He paused and looked down at her, able to see her a little more clearly, even though they were still far from the lights clustered around the homes and shops.

 

“Where are we going?”

 

“I'm walking you home.” He murmured, as if it should have been obvious.

 

All the way to her house? He was planning on traveling all the way into the heart of Konoha, and then all the way back to his own home? That surprised her a little, and it reflected on her face. The corner of her mouth quirked to the side, and she eyed him with concern. But instead of questioning his reasons, she skipped straight to the most important subject. One she'd been trying to mull over through all the distractions and confusions that got in the way up until this point.

 

“You know I want nothing to do with him, right?” She asked, hiding most of the desperation that wanted to pour out with that question. Imploring him to understand that today changed nothing between them, as far as she was concerned. If anything, it only strengthened her feelings. She was interested in only him. Sasuke wasn't going to get in her way.

 

He considered her carefully, revealing nothing but the steady, tired sadness that seemed to have become a permanent fixture on his face. “Nothing?” Mirroring her word, he watched a flash of urgency grip her, followed by frustration at the thought that he didn't quite believe her.

 

“No, nothing. I know I should have been meaner to him, when he tried to...” She sighed, trying to collect her thoughts as she looked down. “All I can tell you is that I don't want him. I _know_ I don't. He's a jerk and he has a lot of growing up to do, and I'm not wasting my time on him anymore.” A tooth nibbled anxiously on her bottom lip, part of her regretting saying something so harsh. In the end, they were still brothers, so she felt she ought to be careful even now. “I just...want you to know that I haven't changed my mind about anything, okay?”

 

“Ten years is a long time to love someone. Is letting go that easy?” He asked softly. Either testing her in a way, or genuinely curious, she didn't know. But it stung a little. It stung because it was true, and she couldn't blame him for asking something like that. She would be skeptical if she was in his shoes, too.

 

“No, it's not easy.” A quiet laugh drifted to him as she lowered her head. Heartbroken and frayed to the edge of her wits, yet she was still keeping her composure more than she thought she would. “That's why it took ten years. It was more than time, though... I got a pretty rough shove in the right direction. Kind of threw everything into place for me.” She laughed again, shaking her head.

 

She was talking about him, and he knew. Only, her opinion of the matter was different than his. More forgiving of the method, more welcoming to the change it brought. She felt stronger in the aftermath, even with all the strain it put on her, and he felt...weaker. His self-reflection yielded regret and disgrace, and it was drawing a painful knot in his chest that grew tighter the longer he looked at her.

 

Sakura drifted backwards, heels shifting through the tall grass to sit down on a large mossy root arching from the ground at the edge of the trees. He took a couple steps after her, guided by their clasped hands. She was studying something intently between her feet, waiting for him to say something. Anything. Even if it wasn't something she wanted to hear, it was better than nothing.

 

“You're so much better than he is, Itachi. In every way. I know that's not a nice thing to say, and that I shouldn't be comparing you two, but it's true.” She allowed herself to admit what she really felt, regardless of the outcome. It needed to be said, or she feared he would never think she was being completely honest with him. The last thing she wanted was for him to walk away, thinking she was finally getting what she wanted from his brother. That was her ultimate nightmare.  
  
“I like you a lot, and I really want to see where—” The change in pressure caused her to look up, and watch as his fingers loosened their grip and pulled away form her. Leaving her hand to hover alone in the cool air, while his returned to his side. She stared at that hand for too long, unable to look up and meet his eyes. Scared of what she might find staring down at her. Afraid she would finally understand where that sadness was coming from, and be crushed by it herself.

 

Reluctantly, she withdrew her abandoned hand to brace against the jutting root next to her, palm brushing over the green moss serving as her cushion. Her fingers squeezed tighter than they needed to, denting into the velvet. She let her eyes fall shut, the heaviness returning to her shoulders as she lost her train of thought, and gave up trying to explain herself. If the truth wasn't enough for him, then there was nothing else she could do.

 

She could hear him moving, but she didn't look. Part of her pessimistically imagined him walking away, leaving her to sit alone indefinitely Never coming back. But her eyes reopened apprehensively when something tickled her bare legs. They twitched involuntarily, and she stared in surprise as he melted over her. His face buried into the tops of her thighs as he knelt on the ground before her, hiding in their warmth. Hands smoothed over her lap as they caged the top of his head. Careless of the dirt that covered her.

 

A humid breath filtered over her skin, slow and paced as he used her as a shield to block out the rest of the world. She didn't know what to say. Was he happy? He didn't seem happy. But he was touching her, at least... That was a strange position to be in. Under normal circumstances, she would anticipate him pouncing on her at any given moment, ravishing her in the way he so enjoyed to do. This was different, though. He felt physically heavier, like all his weight was slumped into her, dead and unmoving. His lips did nothing but breathe for him, and his fingers curled gently over the gritty fabric of her bunched up skirt.

 

“I'm sorry, Sakura.” The grave apology hummed into her skin.

 

“Sorry? Why are you sorry?” She reached hesitantly for his head, gliding her hand over the silky hair he kept in a loose ponytail down his back. Her legs parted a little, worried he would find it difficult to breathe soon if she didn't move.

 

“You didn't deserve any of this.” It was muffled and imbued with guilt, but she could hear him.

 

“I'm not going to disagree with you, but Itachi...you're not the one who should be saying sorry.” Her brow creased in uncertainty, fingers continuing to pet softly through his dark hair.

 

His face rose from the comforting nook to look up at her, serious and doleful. The touch of her hand lingered behind him, resting on the tie that kept his hair in place while she stared, fascinated by this change in him.

 

“You really believe I am so different from him.” It wasn't a question, but rather a statement that left an acrid taste in his mouth upon the realization. How could she be so blind? Condemning his little brother, who she claimed to have loved for a decade, for acting the way he did today. Why wasn't he being condemned as well? Why did he earn so much leniency from her? As far as he was concerned, he was worse than Sasuke. In a way, he helped contribute to his behavior, even if it wasn't directly. He always knew he was Sasuke's number one influence in everything he did.

 

This wasn't the first time these thoughts burdened him. His self-analysis began months ago, long before his latest mission that put him in the hospital. But since the hospital, everything started coming into sharper focus. Now, after what happened today, every flaw was magnified. Everything from the tiniest blemish to the ugliest wounds that made up his person was reflected back at him through the mirror of his own brother, and he didn't like it. He made a lot of mistakes over time, and he let down a lot of people...some of whom didn't even recognize his mistakes. It didn't matter. He could see every one of them, and he couldn't ignore them anymore.

 

The face looking down at him was frozen in dismay, as if she didn't understand what he was saying. “Of course you're different. You've always been direct with me, and you've never been cold. You didn't spend ten years acting like you wanted me to leave you alone every time I paid you attention, and then turn around and attack me as soon as I stopped. You actually care. He doesn't... Not in the way I want him to... _used_ to want him to. Isn't that obvious?”

 

The fingers tugged behind him, pulling the tie free so his hair could fall around him. Slipping down his shoulders while she brushed through the strands absently. She wasn't paying much attention to what she was doing. It just felt natural to play with his hair, and she did like it better when it wasn't tied back. She watched his hooded eyes sink down to stare at her lap, letting her fiddle with him without complaint. Giving her the impression that nothing she said was translating the way she hoped it would. Part of the problem was that she didn't grasp where he was coming from yet.

 

“I thought you were annoying when I first met you.” He murmured, a single finger tracing a smudge of ash over the top of her skirt. “I thought you were...immature, a little selfish, and too focused on things that didn't matter.” His speech was slow and deliberate. Careful, but not in order to spare her any truth. He wanted to ensure he meant everything he said, and that it came out right.

 

The fingers running through his hair stopped, and Sakura felt a lump form in her throat.

 

“I thought a lot of things...that weren't true. I made some assumptions I shouldn't have. I also thought you were beautiful...and I liked your yukata.” He took a slow inhale and closed his eyes, reliving the memories. Some good, some bad; he let them all rush in. “Back then, I believed I understood why my brother kept his distance from you. But now...I don't understand at all.”

 

He eased back onto his heels, sliding away from her so he could sit with his forearms propped on her knees as he looked up at her. It was such an odd, sullen confession that made her feel hurt, yet relieved, yet happy all at once. All she could do was stare, trying to piece together what all this amounted to.

 

“You're stronger than a lot of people I've met, and in ways you might not realize. You care so much, that you would rather let yourself get hurt, than hurt someone close to you. Even if they deserved that pain, you would try to take it in their place.”

 

“Well...within reason, I guess...” She peeped apprehensively, unsure of what exactly she was supposed to say to him.

 

His eyes hardened suddenly, determined to put his stance into perspective for her. “Sakura, tell me this... What if I stabbed you in the chest, right now, and you bled out. What if there was nothing you could do, but wait to die. If asked you to forgive me with your last breath, would you do it?”

 

She stared silently for a minute. More than a little stunned by such a strange question. She never wanted to imagine a situation like that in her head. That would be awful. But when she thought about it...

 

“Yeah, I...I probably would. I mean...if I knew I was dying, and I couldn't stop it, and you really wanted me to forgive you...why wouldn't I?”

 

He stared at her as if he didn't hear a word she said. But really, he just didn't want to believe they were the words she chose.

 

“I mean, please don't do that. It would suck. I'd be really sad and I wouldn't understand why you would do something that horrible...but I could forgive you, if you wanted me to. Well, I guess I should say that...I could forgive you if you honestly regretted what you'd done.”

 

A strange blend of emotions contorted his face. Gripping the mild sadness in his eyes and wrenching it into something pained and angry. It disappeared as quickly as it came, and he shut his eyes with a slight turn of his head, as if to shield her from its wrath. Allowing only a wrinkle to remain on his brow. Apparently, she didn't answer the way he wanted her to.

 

Part of her wanted to recoil from him, afraid she'd upset him, and part of her wanted to pull him into a hug. If he was trying to make a point, she was having trouble following along. “I don't see where this is going...” She murmured faintly, wondering if she missed something.

 

“Six months ago, you came over to my house, looking for Sasuke. I invited you in, I let you rant, and I pissed you off. But when you tried to leave, I didn't let you go.” He opened his eyes to level a glare on her that was frightening. Like she'd done something wrong. “I raped you, Sakura...and you just accepted it. You acted like everything was fine. I hurt you, and more than once I've tried to make you see that, and you refuse to. That kind of offense isn't something you just brush off, like the way you have done.”

 

“Itachi...” She sighed loudly, leaning forward slightly and drawing her hands up through her own tangled, dirty hair. “I didn't just brush it off. I...kept most of it to myself for a long time, and I'm okay with that. It's really not as bad are you're making it sound.” She looked up at him, distressed and wistful, while her hands paused on the sides of her head. “I know what happened. I've had a lot of time to think about everything. I wish I'd gotten to meet you in a different kind of setting, but we can't change the past. We talked about this, didn't we? You already apologized in the hospital, and you apologized again when I came over for dinner.”

 

Judging by his unmoving expression, everything she said was bouncing off a wall of stone. He wouldn't accept her explanation. He didn't _want_ to be forgiven, and that's where the real predicament lied.

 

“Alright, it's not okay. What you did was messed up, and it took a while for me to figure out how I felt about it, but the point is that the worst is over. I got to know you better, just like you got to know me better, and you realized I'm not...annoying and immature and whatever else you originally thought. I know you're not a bad person, Itachi, and that changes everything. Everyone makes mistakes, you know? You did something you shouldn't have, but all your good qualities more than make up for it. The fact that you're trying this hard to make me recognize what you did kind of speaks for itself. If you really were an asshole, you wouldn't be saying stuff like this, so...”

 

The disturbed look on his face never flinched. He glanced down to her lap, saying nothing. It was so funny, when she thought about it. Here he'd committed this crime against her months ago, and yet he was the one getting beat up over it. She was ready to let it go, and focus on the present. Wasn't he the one that said he lived in the moment, because that's all he had? That sentence impacted her ever since he gave her a peek into the inner workings of his brain, when they first met. But he seemed to have forgotten its meaning, and was letting the past eat him up inside. Tripping over a single event in time that he would never be able to erase.

 

Still, silence.

 

“Gah! What do you want me to say? Do you want me to punch you in the face? Would that make you feel better? Should I say that I won't forgive you, and that I never want to see you again?”

 

“Yes.” He answered flatly, without missing a beat. So firm in his decision that she suddenly realized he'd been thinking about it this whole time.

 

“NO!” The legs serving as his pillow shot up so abruptly he lost his balance and fell. Back thumping onto the grass and a quick blur redirecting his startled gaze up to the evening sky, with its stars growing brighter by the minute. Above his capsized form, she fumed audibly. Hot breath steaming through her nose as her arms crossed over her chest. She glared down at him, then dropped her arms, flexing her hands into tight fists. Then crossed them over her chest again in a huff. Disconcerted enough by his answer that all she could do was fidget and grit her teeth, while trying to keep her cool.

 

“You... I can't even... Damnit!!” She cursed, and resigned to setting her hands on her hips. “If I can forgive you, _you_ should be able to forgive yourself! I mean... Come on! It's not like it was the worst thing in the world!” A mess of pink hair and angry green eyes poked into his view as she leaned over him. “I liked it, okay! It was scary at first, but I liked it! Don't you think I would have tried a _little_ harder to get away if I didn't? I tried harder with Sasuke! I'm sure you saw that, right? Yeah, I could have hurt him more than I did, but... Kami! This shit is complicated! Give me a break!!”

 

The sprawled Uchiha laid there obediently while she went off like a rocket. Her voice rose a little in volume, but the tone changed significantly, and he was reminded of another thing he liked so much about her. That fiery streak, of course. She did such a good job of keeping a lid on it most of the time they were together. She even had him convinced for a while that it was normal for her to be so passive and shy, but times like this made him question that. When she was really passionate about something, she would let the sparks fly. It was a pleasant surprise, every single time...and why wouldn't someone with a natural talent for fire and lightning techniques be attracted to her for that very reason?

 

When he did nothing but blink, she felt more of her control slip, and descended on him with a purpose. “Look...” She plopped down on top of his waist, straddling him while her fingers curled into his shirt. “If you don't want to forgive yourself, then fine. I can't help the way you feel. But don't you dare try to walk away from me now just because you feel guilty. If you feel guilty, then make it up to me! But don't leave... And so help me Kami, if you even _think_ about spewing some shit like I deserve better than you, I _will_ punch you in the face.”

 

That was amazing. How did she know he was going to say something like that?

 

Itachi watched her with wide eyes, studying the threatening look she was giving him. That little spark inside her flared brighter and spread, engulfing the anxious girl that spent so much effort trying to keep everyone else happy, sometimes at her own expense. It was beautiful. He loved it, and he wished he could see more of it.

 

His sides shook lightly against her legs, chest rumbling in a quiet chuckle as a grin spread his lips. After soaking in all that sadness, and then teetering into anger, it was the last reaction she expected from him. Fingers loosening their hold, she considered him with narrowed eyes. Too suspicious of this turn of events to let herself relax. Slowly, she straightened her back and flattened her palms on his chest. He laughed harder, eyes squeezing shut as it took hold of him.

 

She was something else. The way she made him feel...there were no words for it. Did he want to push her away? Yes. Did he think she deserved someone better than him? Absolutely. But she wasn't prepared to let him make a decision like that alone. That was something he had to respect, even if he didn't agree. Honestly, a selfish part of him wanted her to make him stay, anyway. Turning his back now, while he knew he could do it, would be one hell of a difficult thing to pull off...and impossible to manage unscathed. He liked her too much. Shutting off his emotions wouldn't work at this point, and neither would pretending.

 

She sighed, bowing her head in defeat. She didn't know what to think anymore, but apparently she was just hilarious. Well, at least he was happy now. Good for him.”Okay seriously...what's so funny?” Grumbling under her breath, she missed his eyes cracking open to watch her.

 

“Sakura...” He laughed again, and she refused to look up at him. “Why is it so easy for you to forgive me?”

 

“Because!” She shouted suddenly, flipping her hair out of her face in a jerk. “That's what unconditional love does! When you love someone, you always forgive them! That's just what you _do!_ ”

 

The laughter faded away into the breeze. It took her a second to realize what she said, as she stared down at him. He regarded her curiously, all the amusement thoroughly smacked off his face. When it finally clicked in her head, she inhaled a little too sharply.

 

“Oh... I...” Crap. She shouldn't have said that. She didn't mean the way it came out. It just flowed so easily, because it felt right, and that's what made sense to her. But you don't just casually tell someone you love them like that! It's weird, and it confuses people, and she probably just majorly freaked him out.

 

“I mean... Ahahaaa...” Sakura laughed nervously, trying not to fidget on him while a hand rubbed the back of her neck needlessly. The only reaction she got from him was a few more slow blinks, lips sealed shut.

 

“Well, you know! Like how you would forgive Sasuke or Shisui for anything, right?!” Yeah, exactly. That made sense. He should be able to relate to that. _Oh, please relate to that_...

 

His hands drifted to her face. Palms brushing along her jaw while his thumbs touched her cheeks. Hair swishing as she let her hand slide away from the nape of her neck, an ardent gaze captured him. Afraid that if she so much as blinked, she would miss something.

 

He eased her down until she was a few inches from him. She kept herself braced on his chest, eyes flickering curiously between his. A chaste kiss touched her lips, so smooth and soft compared to her own. Then he kissed each cheek, moving his hands to sift into her hair, and tilted her head to plant his final kiss on her forehead. It wasn't the first time he'd done something like that, and she couldn't help but wonder what it meant to him, but she didn't ask.

 

The tension in her shoulders abated as he pulled her flush against him, trapping her arms between them and resting his chin on top of her head. She didn't know what to say, and so she merely watched the needle-like blades of grass sway around them in a hazy curtain. Listened to the steady rhythm of each breath of the broad chest that ballooned into her.

 

“Thank you, Sakura. Your forgiveness is unjustified, but I will accept it, if it will make you happy.” He murmured above the unkempt pink strands tickling him, an unreadable gaze exploring the tiny pinpricks of light peppering the sky. Saying nothing of her little slip up, and locking away his true feelings as expertly as any ANBU could. Somehow responding in such a way that made her feel immensely better, without revealing anything personal.

 

She smiled to herself. Focus fading as the blades of grass blurred into obscurity. The seconds blended with them, until any sense of time disappeared. The only thing that existed was that moment. The present. None of the concerns of yesterday mattered, and thinking of the future was futile. Impossible to know, with how quickly things could and routinely did change. But she didn't care anymore, and that was the best part. Right now, she _was_ happy. She found more closure. It wouldn't last... The only permanence in life was change, after all. But she'd been looking for a sense of closure for so many things, for so long. Now that she finally experienced its long-awaited reprieve, she willed everything else in the world to vanish. Nothing was allowed to disrupt the sense of security and warmth she felt in this moment.

 

The physical warmth was just as soothing, as his body heat bathed her. After such a long and stressful day, it was as relaxing as a hot spring. Not as refreshing as one, but she would happily trade a steamy soak for his encircling arms. A hot bath could still leave her feeling empty, but not this...

 

She never stood a chance. The small, dusty form molded over him grew limp as she submitted, and her breathing pattern changed. A little slower and more evenly paced, raspy as her throat relaxed. The shift of his arms as they slid down and around her back registered somewhere in a distant alcove of her mind as she spiraled into darkness, but the overwhelming comfort paralyzed her. It was never her goal to fall asleep, but it couldn't be helped. She was finally granted a chance to silence her mind, and freely bask in his company. As a result it knocked her out cold before she could catch herself sinking away from reality. The price of finally allowing herself to unwind after enduring a physical and emotional beating.

 

Itachi let her drift away. He didn't anticipate her falling asleep either, but it wasn't that surprising. He resigned to watching the stars and listening to the sounds of night fill the silence around them. There was nowhere he needed to be tonight, and so he would stay there as long as she needed him to. Sooner or later she would need to go home, but for a while at least, he could be her bed. He wondered faintly how she could comfortably sleep in a position like that. With her legs on either side of his waist, they were bound to go numb sooner or later. Then again, he could empathize, if he reflected on some of his past missions. When you've been through hell and back, you can fall asleep in the damnedest positions imaginable. Even upside down on a stone staircase, if that's where you happened to crash.

 

A thumb stroked her back sluggishly, fighting the impulse to let his hand slip lower and trail beneath her shirt to glide along the dip of her spine. He didn't want to wake her. Instead, he let his thoughts wander. Like her, he was trying to enjoy the moment as much as he could, while it lasted...but his mind wouldn't rest for long. The lingering peace she felt was denied to him, as a vague sense of impending doom pricked him with its claws. As if he knew this peace would not only be short-lived, but was bound to serve as the calm before a storm approaching on his horizon. He could feel the change in the wind as it picked up and altered course, and the damp air billow into him. For now, he kept his back turned willfully. Choosing to face the dying rays of warm sunlight that danced so brightly, and with such vivid colors, that he couldn't bring himself to look away just yet. Wanting them to stay forever.

 

He didn't know where this feeling was born from, but it was something he couldn't shake. Well, perhaps he at least had an idea, but he didn't want to acknowledge this threat, similarly to how he couldn't bring himself to acknowledge Sasuke. It had the potential to cause more strain than he wished to deal with. Especially if his own father was in any way involved, like his intuition suggested he was.

 

Itachi wouldn't wait as long to intervene this time, if a new obstacle did manifest...but maybe for just a little bit longer, he could pretend there was nothing left to worry about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	14. The Winds of Change

A cool gust of wind nearly toppled her over the second she walked out the door of the shop, already top-heavy with all the bags she was trying to balance in her grip. They weren't too heavy—not for someone who could heave a house-sized boulder through the air, or wave a tree like a bat—but it was bulky and awkward and holy cow where did that wind come from anyway? Autumn was making its presence known this evening.

"Hahh.." She laughed nervously, catching her footing and shifting the bulky bags back into position. Some were filled with groceries, others basic necessities. With how busy she was, it was hard to find time to get the boring chores out of the way, let alone shop. This trip was long overdue, but the embarrassing thing was she only made it happen for one reason, and it had nothing to do with the bunches of fresh leafy greens poking out of the bags and shuddering with each step she took down the road. Partially obscuring her view as she made her journey back home while trying not to knock shoulders with anyone passing her.

There was four bags hanging from each arm, and two more clutched to her chest, but a single, small object tucked into one of them was the focal point of her attention. All she wanted to do was sprint the rest of the way home so she could dig through the mess and find it, but she would have to be patient for a little longer.

Two weeks had passed since her showdown with Sasuke, and almost three since her dinner with his family. Crazy how fast time was flying. There were never enough hours in the day anymore. That didn't excuse him, though. The infuriating, indecisive, hypocritical ass hadn't spoken a single word to her since he abandoned her in the crispy and dusty remains of their battlefield. He walked away from her without so much as a glance, and then seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth.

Sakura could feel her jaw begin to tense as she replayed the memories that had already made their rounds in her head over and over again. It was maddening not having any sense of closure. He dropped a bomb on her that she never saw coming, and then vanished. Not cool. That was an understatement... He fucked up. This was more than  _not cool_ , and there was no way in hell she could let this slide. It was too much. And she was sick.  _Sick_  of all the shit she put up with from him for so long. She didn't deserve this! Not by a long shot! Didn't she finally give him exactly what he wanted? Didn't he want her to leave him alone? Get off his back and stop being so 'annoying'? Apparently not, since the moment she complied, he turned into a completely different person. She felt...betrayed. Yes, that was the word.

The shuddering vegetables stilled as she came to an abrupt halt. Eyes closing, she bowed her head slightly and took in a slow, deep breath. She was working herself up again. The anger was stinging her cheeks and burning a hole in her chest. She was doing what she always did; thinking herself in circles about things she had no control over. Marinating in misery, and for what purpose? It was about time she started trying to deescalate the stress in her life, instead of exacerbating everything. Easier said than done...but at least she was aware of the pattern she kept herself trapped in mentally. It wasn't healthy, and it was adding to her fatigue.

The burning subsided slowly, but as she willed herself to be calm and to recede from dwelling on the injustice she suffered at his hand, the coldness and the cruelty, the passion, and all the confusing things he did and said, she could only sink into sadness.

All she wanted was an explanation...much more than a sincere apology, even. She just wanted to understand him. Rip open his brain and put together the pieces of what happened to make him react the way he did, because it truly did not add up for her.

No. She would not wriggle free of her anger only to get entangled in sadness. This was just as pointless, and she was done making her head hurt. It was time to focus on something happy until fate was done cooking up whatever it was going to throw at her next. Sooner or later, Sasuke would have to face her, and she would worry about the rest when the time came.

Feet scraping quietly along the ground as she started walking, a small smile blossomed as her thoughts drifted to Itachi. She hadn't spoken to him much since they talked on the way home from her fight with Sasuke, but he was as busy as she was now. It was still too soon for him to be sent on any missions, but with his recovery coming along so quickly, he was starting to rebuild his strength and hone his skills once more, with Shisui practicing at his side during most of his free time.

She missed him. Every day he crept into her thoughts more times than she could count, and it made her feel giddy and lonely at the same time. She just wanted to steal him away and hog him all to herself, but she would have to be patient. They both had important things to do.

Another harsh gust of wind snuck up on her and sent her teetering to the side as she fought to keep her balance. She sighed, watching the frayed curtain of pink whisk to and fro in front of her eyes, joining her veggies in blocking a good chunk of her view as she walked. The bags shivered, drawing her eyes down to the armful of stuff bulging against her. Reminding her of the main reason she went to the store in the first place.

As her thoughts drifted back to Itachi, she felt her stomach do a couple of slow, nervous churns. Smile waning and lips parting gently, an apprehensive look crept into her eyes as she stared off into the distance through the flickering pink and green. Remembering what she would have to deal with once she got home.

Turning the corner, the wind gave her a shove and sent her hopping on one foot as she leaned too far. "Haaa..! Seriously..." She grumbled quietly to herself, happy to see her front door now, inching closer and closer. The fun part would be opening the door without setting her bags down. They were bound to go sliding and tumbling away if she did.

_WHAP!_

A lost magazine flailed down the street and burst through the swaying veggies, smacking over her face. Sakura froze, head masked completely as the pages shivered around her cheeks. Then it whipped past and went swirling away as she jerked her head sharply to the side. Eyes alight with a twinkling green fire, she broke into a jog and didn't stop until she reached her door, groceries jostling about and teeth gritting.

"Sakur—"

"What?!" She nearly shouted without even turning to see who was there, so caught up in her aggravation, but then she recognized his voice. Peeking over her shoulder as she paused with her hand reaching for the door knob, she blinked an eye through an angry swirl of pink at her sensei standing behind her. Silver hair dancing in the breeze like moonlit grass, somehow so tame compared to her own, lazy black eye watching her calmly, hands nestled in the pockets of his pants. Looking as if he hadn't a care in the world. Until she snapped at him... Then he blinked a couple times and gave her a funny look.

"Oh, sorry sensei. I didn't mean to yell at you..." She exhaled loudly and turned to face him, looking down at her bags. "This damn wind is driving me crazy."

"Ah.. Yes, it's a little windy today." He glanced up nonchalantly at the sky, watching the clouds sail past quickly in the turbulent night sky. So indifferent about it all. But he wasn't trying to carry ten bags back to his house, either. As if he just realized her predicament, he looked down at the bags swaying between them. "Need help?"

A bundle of carrots poked through one of the bags as it began to tear at the bottom, and Sakura forced the sweetest smile at him as the corner of her eye twitched.

"Yeah, maybe a little. Can you get the door for me?" A fist bracing the bags to her chest opened, revealing a small key dangled from the ring around her finger. He took it from her and opened the door.

"Thanks, sensei." She wandered past him into the empty house. Finally free from the wind, and about to be free of her paper and plastic restraints. She shuffled down the hall and to the nearest table, blowing fervently up at the clump of hair that made its final flop over her eyes once the wind disappeared. Trying to shift it out of the way with no luck.

"You can come in!" She called back while flicking on a couple lights, realizing she'd never heard his footsteps follow. He had lingered by the door while she neared the end of her struggle...which under normal circumstances was the polite thing to do, but right now she wished he'd just come after her and relieved her of some of the bags. Ah, men... Was this why he was still single?

The door shut behind her, just as she bumped into the table. Reaching it more quickly than she ancitipated, but that's what happens when you can't see very well. "Oof.." She grunted, and a strap on one of the bags snapped and spilled some of its contents to the floor. She shoved the rest of them roughly onto the table, tipping another over to gush some of its produce and other mundane necessities.

"So what's going on? How's Naruto's training?" She asked, only half-interested in his response as she started picking things off the floor and stuffing them back into the broken bag. Kakashi had been spending more time with Naruto than her and Sasuke lately, so she hadn't seen much of him. If she wasn't already so distracted by what was unfolding in her own life between two exhausting Uchihas, she would be more curious as to why he showed up at her house at all, but her mind was elsewhere.

"It's going...well." Not the most convincing tone of voice, but he seemed just about as interested in discussing the subject as she was about hearing it. He sauntered slowly down the hall, watching her with his single eye and keeping his hands in his pockets.

"Oh.." Was all she had to say about that, not even glancing at him as she finished assembling her bag, and plopped it onto the counter so carelessly he wondered why she even bothered putting it back together.

"Just the wind?" He asked skeptically, believing there was something more to it than that. A haggard sort of energy was weighing her down, even if she was doing her best to mask its presence. Easy for him to detect, since he spent the past few years training her, and therefore knew her about as well as her own parents—perhaps even more than her own parents. He was also a former ANBU member, so it was second nature for him to pick up on even subtle difference as easily as Itachi and Sishui could. She really could not catch a break with the men in her life.

"She looked back at him and reluctantly gave a weak smile. "Yeah...well, I've been kind of stressed lately. Sorry. Got a lot going on."

Kakashi nodded, and looked down at the other spilled bag on the table next to her. Calm eye roaming aimlessly over everything. Looking for clues, absentmindedly.

"So, you don't usually visit..." Putting more effort into giving him her undivided attention, she tried to wipe the concern and fatigue from her face and push the rest of her problems to the side for now. Watching him curiously as he stood in the doorway of her kitchen.

He seemed almost bored, or maybe just lost in thought, until that eye sharpened suddenly and she saw his brow crease. Sakura blinked, waiting for him to speak. Unaware that what caught his attention was something external, rather than the subject that brought him here in the first place.

He took a couple slow steps forward, keen on whatever it was that caught his attention. It took a few seconds of silence before she glanced back to see what he was looking at, and what she found amidst the food and other random items was a small white and pink box. An uninteresting thing really, until you caught the bold print under the brand name that read  _Pregnancy Test_.

You know that feeling you get when you've just been caught red-headed by your parents doing something reeaally bad? Yeah, it was chill-inducing. The dawn of horror, embarrassment, and panic shot her nerves as she stared down that dreaded little box like it was a paper bomb about to blow.

A hundred different dialogues played out in her head within the few awkward seconds that she kept her face hidden from him. Everything from pretending she grabbed someone else's bag by mistake, to acting like she had no idea how it got there, to insisting she bought it for someone else.

He was still staring down at it when she cautiously turned to face him, catching his disturbed expression, and swallowing quietly. All the possible scenarios she wanted to mislead him with went out the window, replaced with an exasperated sigh. He would never believe one of those lies. He was too smart, and she didn't have the energy to spin the web it would take to deceive him, if it was even possible. All these months of harboring secrets and overthinking things, and then getting mindfucked by Sasuke, drained her reservoir of anything creative or convincing. She was spent.

The creaking table was the only sound in the house as she leaned her hips back into it, and braced her palms on the edge. Messy pink curtain of hair falling forward, she stared down at the floor in resignation. Feeling almost calm, now that she gave up trying to hide anything.

"Yep..." Sakura smirked in ironic amusement, and a little bitterness. Part of her in awe that she wasn't freaking out more than that initial shock. Maybe because she was far more apprehensive about taking the test itself than having someone discover it. If it was positive, everyone close to her was bound to find out anyway.

"How late are you?" He finally asked with a gruff clearing of his throat. Sounding much less like the easygoing, almost-always-late, carefree sensei she was so used to. More like the startled and angry father-figure she was rightfully afraid he'd become.

"Late enough, sensei...does it matter?"

He was glaring at her. She could feel it even while she kept her gaze down, and it made her glad he only had one eye to drill into her right now instead of two. A sound of shifting fabric made her peak up nervously, watching him pulling his sleeves up a little and crossing his arms over his chest. Then, he exhaled loudly, shook his head, and looked away from her.

A stab of guilt and shame troubled her first, but they were quickly overcome with stark resentment and indignation. "Look, it's not your problem, so don't worry about it. There's enough going on in my life right now. I don't need you lecturing me about something like this. I already know I messed up, and I'll handle whatever the consequences are."

That was more sass than he was used to getting from her, and it caused him to glance back with an even angrier look than before. "You are still my student, and you are sixteen years old, Sakura. It is a problem for me, but that's not the point. This should not be something you have to deal with right now. What the hell are you doing? When did you get involved with someone?"

His voice was restrained, like it took effort for him to be patient and calm with her. She countered it with a wall of cold steel that would have contested Sasuke's, speaking quietly and firmly, with a pair of suddenly fearless eyes targeting him from between her strands of tussled hair. "You have no responsibility for my personal life, sensei...and I know how old I am. If Konoha can send me on life-threatening missions, I can decide what to do with my own body."

He was studying her, black eye flickering all over her face and down her posture. Analyzing everything from what she said, to how she said it, to the way she was looking at him, and even how she clutched the edge of the table behind her. This wasn't the best situation for him to judge her, but he still recognized some serious changes were taking place within. He had to pause, finding himself stuck at a crossroads in how to address her now. Something he wasn't expecting. She was certainly starting to grow up, but she still had a lot more to learn.

"Ok, Sakura... Tell me what you're going to do if that test is positive." He insisted coolly, head cocking.

"I'll figure it out." She fired back, staring him down as if he was the enemy. Like he was overreacting, and his concern was an inconvenience she didn't have time for.

"Uh huh." He nodded, believing none of it. "So, who's responsible?"

"Me, obviously." She snorted in annoyance.

"It takes two, Sakura."

Eyes widening in realization, she straightened her back and folded her arms across her chest to match him. "It doesn't matter who—the result is the same! Why would I tell you anyway, so you can interrogate them or throw them into jail or something?"

His single eye narrowed, a little bit confused. "I can't interrogate someone or throw them in jail for having sex...and if I could, you think I'm that kind of person?"

"I dunno, maybe! Even your closest friends can become a completely different person overnight, apparently! How should I know what you would do?" Her voice cracked, a glimmer of emotion breaking free. She was never good at being the cold, steely type...

Kakashi was quiet for a moment. Watching her with the same discerning curiosity, but his anger was subsiding as something dawned on him. Whatever was going on—and he would eventually get to the bottom of it eventually—he would need to take a different approach. This was more complex than it seemed.

"Is it Sasuke?" He asked abruptly, quietly, as if he was sure he already knew the answer. Who else would it be? Sakura spent years obsessing over him. He never heard her mention another boy's name, let alone caught her looking at one. Absolutely difficult to believe, with how hard Sasuke tried to brush her off...but still a possibility. That kid was bound to lose a battle against his hormones sooner or later. He was a prodigy like his brother, raised in a home that prized discipline and excellency, but he was still human. Sakura made herself quite accessible to him, as well.

Her breath caught in her throat, looking at him as if he slapped her in the face. "NO! Why would you—" An angry sniffle finished her sentence as she whipped her head away from him, face screwing up into a pained grimace as she fought to find some of that steeliness she mastered but a fleeting moment ago. She didn't want to be having this conversation with anyone right now, least of all someone like him. An authority figure who knew her too well, and wouldn't let her wriggle away no matter how much she wanted to avoid this.

The kitchen fell silent again, save for the angry breaths that puffed through her steadily clogging nose. While she tried not to cry, casting a spiteful glare at something on the wall, he observed her stoicly. Seeming unaffected by her internal conflict.

He wasn't. He was thinking. In the grand scheme of things, the main issue was not who she was involved with, whether it was a serious relationship or a sudden fling—but the latter, he doubted. What mattered was what she was going to do if that test did not read negative. Even if she wanted to be stubborn and in denial, he  _knew_ she was not prepared for the harsh dose of reality that came with a positive result.

His arms dropped and he rubbed the back of his neck with a groaning sigh. What a headache this day was going to be. This was not what he expected to be faced with when he showed up. There was too much going on already, and now this complicated wrench was being thrown into the mix. Kakashi moved forward and grabbed the small box, something he never thought he would be touching in his life, and leaned against the table next to her. She did not look at him.

"Take it."

An mistrusting glance regarded the box in his gloved hand as she turned her head just slightly. A strange tickle in the back of her mind wondered why he insisted. She always thought conversations like these were ones he would avoid at all costs. Anything relating to girls and their personal problems was not exactly where his expertise or interest generally lied. She was surprised he wasn't running in the opposite direction already to wash his hands of the situation before they could even get dirty. Guess she underestimated him.

Uhg, but she wished he would run away. Go hide in one of his Icha Icha books and leave her alone.

"...I would rather take it alone, sensei...no offence..." She mumbled sourly. Defeated, as if she already knew what was in store. The bags behind him rustled as she decided now would be a good time to start putting her groceries away. Anything to distract her from his uncomfortable conversation. She grabbed an armful of vegetables and moved to the fridge.

"I can't leave until you take it, Sakura." He pressed gently but firmly, leaving no room for debate.

She sighed, condiments clanking together when she closed the fridge door more roughly than she should have. "Then you better make yourself comfortable, because you'll be waiting a while."

"Ok...we'll just wait for your parents to come home then."

The bags rustled in the gust when she spun quickly, fists clenching lightly at her sides as she stared daggers. "You won't tell them!"

"I won't have to. I'll just stand here with the box." He tilted his head to look at her, a glint of irritation in his eye. This was already taking too long. She needed to just suck it up and get this over with.

She was calculating now. Watching him intently, and glancing periodically to the box in his hand. He knew her motive before she moved, and spun out of the way the second she lunged for him. The box was held up in the air, then hidden behind his back. She missed every swipe, growling each time her fingers clutched air or grazed fabric.

It scraped across the table away from her with a toss when she thought she had him cornered. She dove, smacking chest first onto the surface, but he was snatching it away from the other side like he'd always been there. She rolled off and chased him through her house, suddenly recalling the time they first met. The bells...those stupid, little bells that were impossible to get away from him no matter how hard she tried. Even with Naruto and Sasuke working with her as a team, none of them stood a chance back then...and probably not now, either. This wasn't going to work, but she couldn't stop reaching for it.

A smaller table jabbed her in the hip when she grew careless, knocking a small picture of Team 7 to the floor behind her. The pane broke on contact, glittering the hallway with its remains while she pressed on. The box whizzed past her ear with another throw. Clattering to the floor and sliding into the bathroom. She ran for it, miraculously smacking her palm down on over it before he could get there. She grinned in triumph, until the door slammed shut behind her, and she heard the thud of Kakashi's back serving as the lock to her prison cell.

That was dumb. Of course the only reason she caught it was because he let her! Now she was stuck. Her enraged wail echoed off the cramped walls around her, the box denting under her fingers. She should have seen this coming. "You know I can punch through both the door and you!" She threatened him.

He wasn't phased, keeping his back planted against her only exit with his arms crossed. "You won't do that. Take the test, Sakura."

Head dropping, she sighed loudly, caught in her bluff. A destroyed door was not something she wanted to explain to her mother...on top of anything else she might have to explain in the near future. "Kakashi-sensei... I mean this with the utmost respect..."

His ear cocked to the door.

"You are an asshole."

The nod was brief and unseen from the other side. Her petty insult meant nothing to him. While she stewed in her numerous regrets, he looked over at the shattered picture left face down on the floor a few feet away from them. The flecks of twinkling light softened the stern look in his eye, and he let his mind reflect hesitantly on the past...

"Why do you have to be here? I'll tell you the answer when I find out, I just...want to be alone..." The voice behind him was quieter, knowing she would get nowhere. At this point, she just wanted to know why he was so unrelenting.

"I can't leave until you take it."

" _Why_ , sensei?"

"I'm supposed to bring you to the Hokage's office. I can't show up with you if you are pregnant, and I can't show up without you if you are not."

Sakura raised her head to stare at the blank door curiously. So he did have a good reason for paying her a visit. "What do you mean? What's going on?"

"There's a mission you are being considered for."

"Yeah...? What kind of mission?" She asked, a little bit excited, but also a little bit nervous.

The sigh was soft enough she almost didn't hear it, but even so quiet, it sounded unusually heavy and reticent. "We will discuss it there, but before that happens, you need to take that test."

There was an uncertain pause, and then she asked, "Why did they send you?"

"Because they want my support for this. I haven't decided if I'm going to give it."

She looked down at the damaged box in her hand, wondering what chain of events were bound to unfold next. Positive or negative, it looked like something big was in store for her.

When he heard nothing more from her but tentative rustling, Kakashi eased away from the door and wandered down the hall, trusting she would finally listen to him. The broken glass was scooped up in his hands carefully, with the gloves mostly protecting them. They were dumped into the kitchen trash, and he returned to set the the picture back on the table in its original position. The image wasn't damaged, and that's what mattered. Everything else was replaceable.

The minutes felt like hours for them both, and he lost himself in the picture with his arms folded once more. This was one of the last scenarios he expected to find himself in, especially with his own student, and she probably felt the same. Normally, something like this would have him throwing his hands up and backing away, perhaps passing on the problem to someone more adept in dealing with these things, but that was not an option today. It was so surreal it was hard for him to wrap his head around the whole thing, let alone what would come next if her test was positive. How did this happen? She should know better, especially working in healthcare. She had to know more about reproduction than Naruto and Sasuke combined. Someone her age should already be on birth control anyway. Many shinobi women were, to help prevent...well, stuff like this from happening. One less thing to worry about when you're in the middle of a long and arduous mission.

An uncontrollable squeal erupted from the bathroom, breaking his train of thought. He looked at the door skeptically, unsure of what that noise meant. Was it a happy squeal, or a terrified squeal? Girls made so many strange noises. Every time he tried to guess what one meant, he was wrong. That was one reason he liked his books. Everything could be explained in them. He could always trust them to have happy endings too, unlike real life...

The bathroom was silent after that. Kakashi took his time shuffling down the hall to stand in front of the door. "Sakura..." His hand reached to tap lightly, but it flung open quickly and something came flying towards his face. He stumbled backwards, ready to block a punch, but then peaked past his hand when nothing hit it. A thin plastic strip was hovering inches away from his masked face, and he blinked suspiciously.

"Uh... Sakura... I don't know what that means."

"I'm not pregnant!" The words exploded from her in unbridled excitement. She did a couple spins, bathing in surely one of the most relieving moments of her life thus far. He was right. She was in no way prepared to deal with a baby yet, and now that her fear was quelled, she couldn't contain herself.

The silver-haired nin didn't appear to be in the same celebratory mood she was, however. The dancing and hopping about stopped, and she looked expectantly up at him. Curious of the stony look aimed down at her. "This isn't something you should take lightly, Sakura."

"I didn't take it lightly! Believe me, I've been dreading this for two days now!"

"If you didn't take it lightly, you wouldn't have found yourself in this mess in the first place."

He had a point there, but she fired back in frustration, "I made a mistake, sensei! I know! There's nothing I can do about it now...but trust me when I say I'll never make another one like this!"

"I hope you're right." He countered in a mistrustful mutter.

"Anyway, so now will you tell me what's going on? What kind of mission is this?" She turned to collect the empty box and prance down the hall to expertly hide it among all the bags she collected. Stuffed down the garbage in such a way, no one would accidentally find it unless they were really digging for something.

"I said we'll talk about it once we get there...and Sakura, this mission is another thing you should not take lightly."

"Why, are you sending me on a super-secret, S-rank mission that will test my limits and possibly kill me?" The joking tone bounced down the hall to him as she finished putting everything away. It was difficult to kill her good mood now, and she was going to ride this high as long as she could.

He never answered. Head peaking around the corner, she found him staring down at the picture of Team 7. Vaguely recalling the small crash when she bumped it with her hip earlier, she thought nothing of it and instead watched him, waiting. He turned and headed for the door slowly, holding up his hand and flicking two fingers for her to follow.

The topic of her pregnancy scare was not over, as far as he was concerned, but it would have to wait a while. Now, there more pressing matters to attend to.

She studied him mutely, trying to decode what his silence meant, and then eagerly ran after him out the door.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The sound of a door sliding open and closed drew his attention away from the blinding light of the fridge. A loud gurgle from an empty stomach betrayed his location as he waited to see who would be coming down the hall. The footsteps were light, but not his mother's. They were purposefully light, the kind that took years of training, but once mastered became a permanent skill that was second nature; not the kind of light from someone who was small and didn't weigh much. This only made him curious.

Soon, his older brother was drifting past the kitchen like a lost spirit. Sasuke's head turned slowly with him, noting the blotches of dirt and sweat all over. Long hair loosened from its ponytail with some wet strands sticking to his pale face.

He snatched something hastily from the fridge and let it ease shut on its own. Heavier feet pattered out of the kitchen. "Itachi..."

When he turned to the side, a worn and wrinkled gaze questioned him without a word. He had pushed himself harder than he should have in his training tonight. All it took was a glance to know that. Even with such a powerful blast of chakra, and a whole team of medics, he still had some mending to finish before he was back to his old self. A few weeks wasn't enough, it seemed.

A fat, red tomato hung in his younger brother's hand, looking like it was about to burst. Itachi looked at it, blinking slowly when he heard his voice. "I thought you were at the clan meeting."

"Mm... No." He murmured the obvious. Suddenly aware of how thirsty he was, he turned fully and wandered past Sasuke and into the kitchen. The younger man's eyes were glued to his every move, lips parted in confusion.

"Aren't you supposed to be there?" He pressed, more inquisitive than concerned. Their father took clan meetings seriously. There weren't as many now as there were years ago. When he was around five, it seemed like there was one every week that his parents and Itachi disappeared to. Always leaving him behind to finish his homework or train alone. His brother never gave the impression he enjoyed going to them. They were likely boring and full of politics, but still... He didn't miss them often.

But now that he gave it some thought, the meetings did seem to be picking up again. Maybe one day he would get to go to one...but the idea didn't excite him. Probably because it never excited Itachi.

"They don't need me." He answered impassively. Sasuke watched him more closely now. His limbs were limp, moving like they were pulled by puppet strings. Looking like he could easily fall asleep standing upright.

Another loud growl complained from his stomach. Sasuke took a bite of the tomato, hoping that would make it shut up for a while.

"Are you hungry?" Itachi asked, glancing his way as he took a drink of water.

"Hn...yeah. All the leftovers are gone." Times like this made him appreciate their mother tenfold. He always forgot how important food was until she wasn't around to make it for him, and since he couldn't cook worth a damn on his own, he was kind of screwed.

The next thing he knew, Itachi was washing his hands and gathering some vegetables, noodles, and an array of condiments and spices on the counter. Sasuke stared in disbelief mid-bite. "Wait, you can cook?"

"Simple things." His brother shrugged, puppet-limbs arranging some peppers, onions, and bok choy on a cutting board to chop as if he'd done so a thousand times before. His movements almost mechanical. Sadly, none of that looked simple to Sasuke, especially all the sauces and spices on the counter. How did he know how much of each to use? Did there really need to be that many?

"Huh..." He gaped in awe, wondering how this skill slipped past him until now. Better yet, how was he doing this when it looked like he was about to fall over from exhaustion? Well, he wasn't going to complain. He was hungrier than he wanted to admit.

"But shouldn't you be there? You're the next clan leader, it's important—" A loud chop paused him, and Sasuke watched a chunk of onion spin and wobble off the cutting board. Itachi's hand stilled for a moment, then continued chopping more gently.

"They're not talking about anything I don't already know. Don't worry, Sasuke..." He answered, voice as soft as his chopping now, but too soft. Like he was forcing his calm.

His younger brother turned the partially eaten tomato in his hand, staring through it as he withdrew into his thoughts. Knowing there was something more to his issue with their clan meetings than just boredom, but also knowing that trying to pry the information from him wasn't going to work. He was almost always like this when the subject came up. Even worse when the subject included both meetings and their father.

"Shouldn't you be apologizing to Sakura?" The question, though sounding so apathetic, was like nails on a chalkboard to him. Sasuke winced unseen as his brother piled the noodles in a pot and readied a large fry pan for the veggies.

Something in his chest tightened. An uncomfortable feeling he hadn't endured since the day they fought a couple weeks ago. A feeling he never wanted to revisit. "...I will..." He ground out with some effort, keeping his eyes down despite knowing his brother's back was turned to him.

Itachi didn't respond. There was nothing to say. It was meant as a reminder, a small jab to let him know he still had some unfinished business. He would not let it go until it was done. He didn't care to be there, or to know anything that was said between them, so long as it happened. All Sasuke would have to say is that he apologized, and he would believe him. They both knew that, and his younger brother was grateful for it...but the task was still daunting. He already put it off for too long.

When he spoke again, the pot was boiling and the pan sizzling loudly with the stir-fry. "Do you think it's...going to turn into anything serious...?" The tomato was still his focal point, though he could hardly see it now, so lost in his own mind. The dark figure in front of the stove bathed in steam and heat, mere feet away, yet somehow feeling farther.

A glass container of dried herbs sitting on the counter was what Itachi chose to focus on. Hands moving of their own accord to toss varying amounts of liquids and spices into the pan to marinate the vegetables. His eyes were utterly lifeless for a time, as if he was sucked into another world entirely, but then they squinted. A hint of sadness, and something else...

"Would that bother you?" He asked, instead of giving a straight answer.

Sasuke's head snapped up. A dribble of juice dripped from the tomato when he squeezed it absently. "No. I just...wondered."

Itachi contemplated. Half in a daze from training, but there was certainly some mental exhaustion fraying his edges too—and it involved more than Sakura.

"It's too early to know anything." He stated easily. Not quite a lie, but still a deflection in its own way. Something he already said a couple weeks ago, but it didn't matter. He would not make promises or declarations when so much was still hanging in limbo.

"Well... Mom keeps talking about her now. It's kind of annoying." Sure, because that was the real reason he brought it up. His older brother made a noise in his throat, but otherwise said nothing. He was busy mixing the finished noodles into the pan and plopping everything into a bowl. Sasuke looked up as he set it on the table. Done so fast, and it smelled amazing.

He meant to utter a word of thanks, but before he could, Itachi walked out of the kitchen, snatching the tomato from his hand along the way. "Hey—" A hard tap on his forehead stopped him, one of so many he tolerated in his short lifetime, and he was left to grumble bitterly as Itachi continued down the hall toward the bathroom for a badly needed shower.

"Clean up when you're done." He called back, taking a bite of the stolen tomato.

Sasuke smirked and sat down to eat.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The wind howled above, threatening in vain the protected garden. They were not untouchable, but the rustling of the small maple and the surrounding plants was tame in comparison to what lied outside the walls. The stars twinkled vibrantly between the flashes of drifting clouds. Bright specks in the late evening sky.

A small chime sang its high-pitched melody nearby, ceaseless in the tumultuous weather. A swirl of colorful leaves, torn prematurely from their branches, twirled in a rapid circle. They sucked up into the darkness, disappearing beyond the roof. The death throws of a long, eventful summer that refused to go quietly. These winds were full of change.

He stood mute at the edge of the porch. A hard gaze, so full of secrets and knowledge, considered the harassed scenery before him. It was cool, but no enough for a coat yet. Still, his arms were crossed tightly to his proud chest. Standing like an unsympathetic sentry to his meticulously manicured garden. It had taken a long time for things to mature into their current shape. He was not prepared to let it run wild or uproot just yet, and it was about time to do some weeding.

"Where were you, Itachi?" A voice low and deep questioned the figure next to him, yet there was no emotion.

The blissful darkness was stolen from him by a sound that he found abrasive. His groggy head lifted with effort to look around him, neck pinching in pain from hanging too long. Wondering, for the briefest moment, what could create such an unwelcome noise...and then the noise came into focus. The words sharpening in his mind. His father was speaking to him.

He was seated on the porch with his back against the wall. Dressed in a warm robe he threw on after his hot shower. Hair still somewhat damp, but dry enough that he realized he must have been snoozing for a while. He never meant to fall asleep. He wanted to sit and think, and this was one of his favorite places for that.

Itachi glanced with disinterest to the man standing close to him. This confrontation didn't come as a surprise. He only wished that he could have been spared the trouble until the morning.

"I was training." His tone mirrored his father's. Devoid of any true feeling, as if they had been down this road before, and it drained them of all their emotions long ago.

"You have plenty of time to train while you recover. If it is so easy for you to shirk your responsibilities, then I am concerned for the future of this clan."

"My first responsibility is to protect Konoha. I have been gone too long already." This wasn't the first time he admitted his true allegiance without shame, and it likely would not be the last. He was weary from this struggle. Every couple years they seemed to find themselves in this tense dance that yielded no resolution.

"Your first responsibility is to lead the Uchiha, Itachi." A trace of ire seeped into those disagreeing words, while Fugaku's shadowed eyes beheld the twisting and swaying shapes in the landscape. Their priorities and expectations were so different. Neither of them would budge in their stance, and yet he still persisted after so long.

A pale hand turned over slowly as he remained seated, revealing the faint scars along his palm that disappeared up into his sleeve. A small glimpse of the sacrifices he'd made for so many. It was never enough. The threats never ended, both external and internal. The politics were always murky and shrouded in deceit, treason, greed, lust for power... He was tired. He was twenty-one years old, but he felt so much older. The only reason he continued to shoulder this burden was so Sasuke didn't have to.

"A clan poisoned by their own hate and distrust..." He retorted, just above a whisper. Lost in the creases of his marred skin. His fingers closed into a loose fist.

"A clan that has suffered injustice and oppression for too long." His father countered in a harsh, confident murmur. The divide between them was growing. Cracking and groaning like a rift splitting into a canyon after years of earthquakes.

They built a bridge once, so long ago, yet Itachi remembered as clearly as if it was yesterday. How could he not, when they were the worst weeks of his life? Every day spent preparing for when the tension would erupt, and what little control he had would spiral out of his hands. Forcing him to make a decision he never wanted to fathom.

It was like watching a tsunami rushing to shore, and he had the bird's eye view. The crest looming in the distance, stretching far as the eye could see. Promising to annihilate everything it touched with the unimaginable force that propelled it to life. A village below that didn't stand a chance, with its desire for peace ignored. What could he do against a force so much larger than him... But then, it melted back into the sea, creating only a ripple of high tide to wash the beach. He found a way to subdue it, if barely. Leaving most none-the-wiser to the chaos, pain, and destruction that was so close to washing away what had taken decades to build.

"I thought we were past this." His son glanced up to watch the garden with him. The younger branches of the maple bent and churned in the forceful wind, but some of the older, stiffer ones creaked in warning. They were bound to snap in their inflexible nature.

"So did I." His father's eyes hardened unforgivingly. "Little has changed since the attack of the Nine Tails. We have spent years rebuilding and serving this country, and are regarded with suspicion. We are kept at arm's length, cast out from the village we sacrifice our lives to protect. Held hostage in a position always under surveilence, and denied—"

"Where were you when the Nine Tails attacked?" Itachi interrupted him, his tone soft, yet its implication was another story.

Fugaku bristled visibly under the veiled accusation. His teeth grit and jaw flexed in the dim light. "After all these years, you still suspect me..."

"Eleven years ago, you planned a coup'. You would have slaughtered anyone that stood in your way, for power. Tell me why I should not suspect you." Unlike his father, he was calm. It was alarming, given the weight of their conversation, and yet he found it difficult to feel anymore, when it came to this... As if he expected, once more, that nothing would be resolved.

"You believe that I would play the role of a terrorist?" His tone was low as always, to avoid rousing suspicion from anyone indoors, but it rolled from his throat like thunder. Menacing in his damaged pride.

"You will die."

The burning scorn flickered away. Slapped into oblivion. He stared mutely at his son, arms slowly falling from their tight hold against his chest.

"Unless you learn forgiveness, and release your grip on vengeance, our entire family will die... Our clan will fade into history as traitors. You will be their reaper; the ultimate end to the clan you care so much about. I will not help you." Itachi took a slow, deep breath. Serene as someone in a wakeful meditation. As if he accepted everything that was transpiring now, and weaving into the future unknown. In reality, he simply felt numb...

Fugaku observed his son suddenly as if he was a stranger insulting him without warrant. "Are you threatening me, Itachi?" He whispered suspiciously, studying him in a new light. A hint of fear slithered into his heart to begin permeating its poison, but the agonizing sting of betrayal overshadowed.

Itachi was quiet as he stood. Every muscle in his body ached. His head felt dizzy. He turned to face his father, meeting him eye-level. A clash of black—one full of anticipation, clouded judgement, and stubborn pride; the other, faint silhouettes of pain, regret, and a sense of finality.

The door slid open between them, and Sasuke took one bare step onto the porch before freezing. He glanced back and forth between the two ominous, dark statues. A bowl of steaming sauteed veggies and noodles in one hand, and chopsticks in the other. Indifference seized into caution.

Neither his father nor his brother looked at him, as if he wasn't there at all...and yet he felt incredibly uncomfortable. The air among the three was thick, and beyond, it roared in a chorus with the contrasting chimes dangling from a branch.

Without acknowledging his younger son, Fugaku turned and walked past Sasuke into the house. He stepped obediently aside for him, and watched his father disappear. Whatever he stumbled into, it appeared to end anticlimactically because of him. He didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Itachi was blinking down at the stir-fry like nothing of interest transpired. "You're eating again?"

Sasuke turned quickly to look at him. Slipping out of the doorway, he slid it shut behind him. Intelligent eyes considered his older brother for a moment. Wanting to probe him with questions, but knowing it would get him nothing of substance in return. He let it go.

"No, this is yours." He held the bowl out.

Itachi regarded it curiously, like it was something far more strange than food.

"You didn't eat anything earlier. I reheated it..." Sasuke explained slowly when he didn't answer.

Itachi stared at it for longer than he should have, mind already wandering onto something else as the steam brushed his face. "Thank you, Sasuke." He murmured finally, and to his brother's surprise, turned and walked along the porch and vanished through another door.

It was so abrupt, all he could do was stand there with his arms held out. Frozen in place again out of sheer confusion. The only thing keeping him from running after his brother was seeing that he left the door open, which meant he would probably be coming back.

Left alone to brood, he looked out at the sky. Watching the flashes of stars diminish as the clouds rolling in grew thicker, suffocating the light, and making it almost impossible to see in the darkness.

Just as he was planning to illuminate the garden, the numerous lanterns flickered to life with their small flames. The muffled footsteps of his brother were coming back down the walkway, something small bundled under one arm. It was far from bright, but it provided enough light for them to see easily now.

He sat down on the edge of the porch, and Sasuke knelt next to him. "I told you, you should have gone..."

His older brother only grunted, taking the bowl of food in his lap. Sasuke looked curiously down at the roll of cloth that was spread out on the wooden floor between them. Dark blue, or black, he couldn't tell in the faint light. Then, one glass bottle stained white clanked down above it, then a red one, and a couple of small paintbrushes.

"Make an Uchiha symbol." His brother ordered with a slurp of noodles. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the arrangement, trying to figure out what this was all about.

"Uh... Why?" He glanced up searchingly, but his brother was more interested in his late dinner than explaining anything. Sasuke waited in vain for a few seconds, and then sighed. He got to work drawing the simple outline of the red and white fan, alternating between the two brushes. Working his brain to figure out why this was necessary. He couldn't remember the original bandana he painted. He was far too young back then, and never saw it again once it was finished. For all he knew, it got lost somewhere, or thrown away.

Itachi stole a peek down at the image when he was done. It was less sloppy than the first ones, all those years ago. He liked the old one better, but...it was gone forever. Discaded with the rest of his shredded and badly stained uniform the night his corpse arrived in the hospital. This one would do just fine.

Sasuke watched him with a half-lidded gaze. Irritated knowing that most things he asked him right now would probably go unanswered. He was in one of those cryptic moods, where he kept everything to himself.

"What would you do if you had to choose between saving Konoha, and saving our clan?" His older brother posed suddenly, derailing his thoughts and stretching his eyes wide in shock.

"What? What kind of question is that?"

Itachi shrugged easily, like this was a game. "Just answer it."

Sasuke watched him chew his food happily, staring into the garden so content that he almost believed this was just a game. "Er... I would save both."

Itachi shook his damp head. "No, you can only save one."

"That's dumb. I'm saving both." He insisted sharply. "You can't ask a question like that... You really think I can pick one?"

"What if you had to, Sasuke?" He paused, setting his chopsticks down and giving his younger brother a soul-piercing look. "Life throws hard choices at you all the time. You have to be prepared for them. Choose." Sasuke felt his mind quiet down as he stared back.

"Alright... Fine. I'd save Konoha." He shook his head, palm smacking down on the wood next to him as he looked away. What a pain in the ass.

"Why?" Itachi fired, and Sasuke turned his head slightly to consider him. Something about this made him squirm a little. He didn't like this question.

"Because... There's more people in Konoha than our village. I'd be saving more lives."

"You're saying that for the sake of the greater good, you would spare Konoha, and let your own family perish?"

The ghostly face was vacant. Eyes flitting over Itachi like he didn't trust any answer was the 'right' one. He was being tested, wasn't he...but for what?

"Yeah, if I  _have_  to pick. But it would never come to that. I wouldn't let it."

"Things aren't so simple, Sasuke. You can't always save both."

" _Tch,_  only if you give up! I would never give up. I would find a way to save both. Don't tell me I can't." His little brother snapped, seeming to take this hypothetical question much too personally. Itachi shot him a surprised look, his half-full bowl now forgotten.

Despite the mild anger creeping into his brother's face, Itachi gave him the faintest smile, but it came at a price. That was the answer he wanted to hear, deep down, but believed he never would. Not from the brother who was so obsessed with impressing their father...and him. He misjudged him.

"What?" Sasuke eyed him apprehensively, wondering why he was being stared at like that. It made him feel like he was under a magnifying glass.

Itachi barely shook his head, and stood with the bowl. An hand swiped down to retrieve the drying bandana. "Nothing, Sasuke. Thank you..." The long strip of cloth billowed as he turned to enter the house, leaving the door open for Sasuke to follow if he wanted. A soft bed awaited him once he cleaned his bowl and chopsticks. The rest of the world's problems would have to wait until morning.

Sasuke stared long and hard through the doorway behind him, and then flopped down on his back. Heaving a sigh into the night air while one of the paintbrushes clattered on its side and rolled next to him.

 


End file.
